The Lucky Branwen
by Shinobi of Greed
Summary: When Raven left Taiyang and Yang she didn't leave by herself. She took her eldest child and Yang's twin brother with her. Flash forward seventeen years into the future, a tribe raised Naruto decides to meet his two sisters. Though is beacon ready for another headstrong Branwen?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1. Naruto Branwen

Under the cover of night, a single individual was walking by himself. As he moved, it was clearly evident that he had a slight stagger in his movements. However, this was not attributed to any injuries, but rather the simple fact that the young man was a little drunk.

Said man was dressed in a red and black dress shirt, that was left untucked so it could hang over his matching black pants. The man also sported a long and tattered black cloak, with a hood he kept flipped up to conceal his face. His most defining features however, were his long blond hair that poked its way out of his hood, and his deep crimson red eyes.

In the young man's right hand, he was firmly grasping a stainless steel flask. Which was filled with contents that a man of seventeen shouldn't have. As the young man continued to walk his cloak moved wildly behind him. Revealing two wakizashis' on his backside. One which was white as snow and had its handle pointed to the right. While the one underneath, was completely black and it's handle was pointed to the left.

These were his signatures weapons and left the impression to most that he was a huntsman, or at least one in training. That wasn't exactly true as he wasn't a huntsman, but rather a warrior raised and trained by his mother; Raven Branwen.

Though who was this individual, and why was he walking down an empty sidewalk alone in the middle of the night? These answers were simple, he was Naruto Branwen. The eldest son of Raven Branwen and Tai Xiao Long. Who had recently ran away from his home and mother to go meet his two sisters, Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose.

So that is why we find a currently intoxicated Naruto Branwen walking aimlessly around a city in Vale. See Naruto knew of both his sisters, as Raven had kept some tabs on their family. However, she never passed the information as where he could find them, but Naruto figured he would cross that bridge when he got there.

Unfortunately for Naruto, he had arrived at that metaphorical bridge a long while ago and he still had no idea where to find his sisters. So that is why he decided to just do what he did best, get wasted and let his incredible luck do the rest of the work for him.

Sadly Naruto's luck was about to take an unfortunate turn as his scroll started to ring, signaling Naruto had a call. This caused the blond to slightly tense up, he was drunk, but still sober enough to be aware of what was happening around him. So as his scroll rang it meant only one thing, his mother was calling.

"Well shit, I should have figured she would call by now." Naruto grumbled, while he fumbled in his pockets for his scroll. Then as he answered the call he gave the most innocent smile he could muster. "Hey mom!"

There was a moment of silence, as the disapproving glare of Raven Branwen glared her son down. Though after a few moments she finally decided to speak.

"I'm only going to ask this once. Where. Are. You?"

Naruto looked left and then right and then left again. He then moved his eyes to his mother and gave her a blank stare. "Umm outside?" The blond replied in a slightly confused tone.

Raven's glare dropped for a small moment, as her lips and eyebrows twitched. Her son always found a way to get under her skin, but after all he got those traits from her. So she often wondered if her son was payback from the universe for how she treated other people.

"You know what I mean Naruto. You left the tribe and no one has been able to find you. So tell me where are you?" Raven asked, her voice holding back a small build up of anger.

Naruto smirked. "I thought you were only going to ask me once?"

A large tick mark appeared on Raven's head, before she moved so close to her scroll only her mouth was visible. "You listen here you son of a me! If you don't tell me where you are trouble doesn't even describe the kind of shit you're in!"

Naruto sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm going to find my sisters, I want to meet them." Naruto revealed in a low voice. "I've spent the last seventeen years only knowing my mother… I wanna meet more of my family. My only problem is I don't know where they are."

Raven backed away from her scroll and looked her son over. She wasn't mother of the year by a large margin, but she did always have a soft spot for Naruto. So when she heard her child's plans, Raven could only sigh.

"I heard Yang is attending Beacon this year, I don't know about Tai's other child. But if you really want to meet Yang so bad, Beacon is where you will find her." Raven explained, causing Naruto to beam with joy. "But know this, if you head to Beacon you're turning your back on the tribe. You will be turning your back on me and I won't be there when you want to come crawling back."

Naruto gave his mother a blank stare. "Geez I love you too mom." The blond grumbled in a low voice.

Raven frowned. "You know why I took you away from your father and sister in the first place. And I doubt they will want to keep you around once they learn of your semblance. But what do I know? I'm only your loving mother. Good bye Naruto." The black haired mother replied before ending the call.

Naruto sighed and placed his scroll into his pocket, he really did love his mother and he knew she loved him. She just had a very strange way of showing that love. Though as Naruto moved his thoughts to his sister, he couldn't help himself from smiling.

"Looks like my next stop is Beacon." The blond declared to himself, before shaking his flask in the air. "But Beacon can wait, tonight I get wasted."

An unfamiliar voice chuckled from behind, this of course caused Naruto to stiffen up. Last time he checked the sidewalk he was on was empty, but now he was no longer alone.

"Now why would a young man such as yourself want to get drunk?" The voice asked, right before Naruto spun around to meet the man who had snuck up on him. "Though you Branwens' always had a taste for alcohol. I myself prefer coffee."

'I didn't sense him until now, who is this person?' Naruto thought in surprise, while his right hand slowly hovered over one of his weapons.

The unfamiliar man's outfit mainly consisted of an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wore black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants. In addition he had a cane in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. Though his most eye catching traits were his silver hair and shaded glass spectacles.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, his fingers slowly grasping his weapon.

The man had a small look of amusement on his face. "Now there is no need for violence young man, I overheard your conversation and I merely wish to speak with you." The man explained before releasing another chuckle. "Though I should at least introduce myself, I am Professor Ozpin; Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

Naruto relaxed, he had heard many stories from his mother about Ozpin. He just never imagined meeting the man like this.

"My mother told me about you, she said you're a superstitious ass." Naruto replied, earning a slight snicker from the man.

"That does sound like Raven, I do hope she is doing well." Ozpin admitted before taking a sip from his coffee mug. "Though knowing your mother she has probably told you a great deal many things. Maybe even some things that are better left a secret."

Naruto folded his arms and leaned back a little. "Like the relics, maidens or Salem? Nah mom won't tell me nothing."

Ozpin nodded. "I see, but last time I checked your mother wasn't concerned with all of that. She only wanted to keep the best interests of her tribe. So I'm curious as to why she told you."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I'm mom's favorite."

Ozpin nodded. "That could be the case, but back to the topic at hand. I overheard you wanted to meet your sisters Yang and Ruby. Well they are both attending my school this year and I could extend the same offer to you as well. I'm sure Raven has trained you to be a proper Huntsman after all. So you should fit right in."

Naruto folded his arms, this was a great opportunity to meet his sisters. However, his mother nailed the concept into his head that people always had an agenda of their own. So the blond was very sceptical of what Ozpin's true intentions were.

"That's a very kind offer Ozpin, but tell me. What do you gain from letting me in your school?" Naruto asked.

"You really are Raven's child." Ozpin began before taking a drink from his coffee cup. "What I get is simple, you're obviously highly trained thanks to your mother. I would even say you could be stronger than most full fledged huntsmen because of your mother's training. You also have knowledge on many subjects that only a small circle of people are aware of. So with that being known, what I get is a reliable and powerful friend."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You mean a tool to use against Salem." The blond corrected.

Ozpin shook his head. "I never said you had to help me and the fellow headmasters in our endeavor. I'm only offering you a chance to become a student at my school. However, you're the future, as one day your generation will be leading the world. So it's only rational I take a strong and trusting young man like yourself and see if you're worthy to keep protecting the world from evil like I and those before me have."

"So you are letting me in so I can continue your fight then." Naruto replied before taking a long sigh, but before he could say anything else Ozpin spoke up.

"Maybe that's what I'm doing, but I promise you for now my only intentions are for you too meet your sisters and have a normal life. So what do you say Naruto, would you like to attend my school?"

Naruto weighed his options, but he didn't have many to pick from. So the teenager merely shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. "Sure Ozpin, I'll join your school, but I have a question. What is the headmaster of Beacon doing wandering the streets at this hour?"

Ozpin smirked and held his mug out. "You might say it was a stroke of luck I ran into you. See I had recently met with little Ruby about joining my school and I decided to take a walk. Then I just happened to run into a young man I haven't seen since he was a baby. And you should know the rest."

Naruto nodded and shook his head. "Luck huh? Seems to be the story of my life." The blond mumbled before looking around. "So what's next?"

"Well how about I give you a lift to Beacon?" Ozpin offered in a friendly tone. "Orientation is tomorrow after all."

"Alright Ozpin, lead the way." Naruto mumbled in a low voice, as he followed the headmaster towards his new life.

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(The next day)

Naruto thanks to the aid of Ozpin, had arrived to beacon much earlier than the rest of the new students. So instead of taking an airship to Beacon with his soon to be classmates, he was sitting alone on a bench. Silently waiting for the transportation ship to arrive and drop off his little sisters.

Though as he waited his nerves began to get the best of him. He was about to meet his sisters for the first time in his life and Naruto was worried about making a good first impression. So many things could go wrong, from him messing up and offending them. Or even the possibility that his sisters want nothing to do with him.

"What am I going to do?" Naruto asked himself as he gazed up into the sky. "I know nothing about Yang or Ruby, so what should I say? Hey I'm your brother who was raised by the lady who walked out on half her family? What if Yang hates me for how much closer I am to our mother than she is? What if I get jealous of how close Yang, Ruby and our father are? Gah! I'm driving myself crazy with all these questions."

Naruto sighed, but his attention was suddenly grabbed by the loud roars of an approaching airship. This caused the blond to stand to his feet and watch the large ship land onto the ground.

"Well looks like it's time." Naruto mumbled as he approached the ship, while watching the doors open to reveal hundreds of students. All of whom came barreling at the blond in a mad stampede. This of course caused Naruto to sweat drop as he saw the approaching students. "Well shit."

In seconds the young Branwen was forced to swerve in between the large crowd of running students. This wasn't too difficult for the blond as he was pretty quick on his feet, but as he moved another blond haired blur zipped past him. Which of course caught his attention and broke his focus.

"Yang?" The blond tried to call out as Naruto thought he caught a glimpse of his sister. Unfortunately the girl who had passed by was in fact Yang, but she didn't hear or see her twin. "Hey wait up!" The blond called out, before he started to chase after his sister.

Naruto only made it a few feet in his chase for Yang however, as he was quickly hit from behind and brought onto the ground. The force of the blow knocking the wind out of him, as it felt like Naruto was hit with a brick house.

"Arghh, what the hell?" The downed Branwen groaned, his vision slightly blurry.

"Oh no Ren, I killed him!" A loud and rather bubbly female voice spoke out in concern.

Rolling off his stomach and onto his backside, Naruto looked up to a single girl hovering over top of him. His unknown assailant had short orange hair and turquoise eyes, the latter of which were gazing into his crimson eyes. She was wearing a collared black vest that ended at her waist, which underneath had two layers of clothing, colored red and light blue respectively. She also had a white sleeveless top that formed a tiny heart shape between her cleavage and collarbone. The girl was also wearing a pink skirt and matching shoes.

"Ahhh are you alright?" The girl asked the slightly disoriented Naruto, while trying to hold a hand out to the blond.

Naruto studied the girl for a moment and didn't move. 'This is not how things were suppose to go, I figured with my semblance I would have lucked out today and easily ran into Yang and Ruby.' The blond Branwen thought to himself. 'But instead this girl runs me over, just who is she anyway? No one besides mom has ever hit me that hard.'

The orange haired girl tilted her head to the side. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" She asked with worry in her voice.

Snapped back into reality, Naruto chuckled and accepted the girl's hand. "Don't worry, it takes a little more than that to hurt me." The slightly overconfident Branwen began before standing to his feet and dusting himself off.

The girl smiled as she was glad that she didn't harm Naruto. "Well that's good to hear, I'm Nora by the way. Nora Valkyrie." The now named Nora introduced before pointing her finger to her side. "And this is my friend Ren!"

Naruto raised his eyebrow and looked to the rather outgoing and friendly girl with confusion. Though he eventually nodded his head and locked eyes with Nora. "The names Naruto Branwen." Naruto introduced before pulling his flask from his pocket and taking a quick sip. "Nice to meet you Nora, glad we could run into each other."

Nora laughed and slapped Naruto's shoulder, causing the blond to stagger a little bit. "Hah, I get it! Cause I actually ran into you!"

Naruto nodded and grinned at his own lame attempt at a joke. Though he quickly looked away from Nora and checked his surroundings, which in turned caused him to frown as he didn't see any of his sisters nearby. Nora noticing this frown latched onto Naruto's arm and began to drag the blond off.

"No frowning mister, you're my first official friend at Beacon! So it's your duty to explore the school grounds with me!" Nora declared, leaving no room for discussion.

Naruto looked down to the energetic girl with a surprised face as he followed her. "Wait friends? But I have to find-.."

"I said no buts mister!" Nora cut in, causing a sweat drop to roll down Naruto's head.

"You only said not to frown." The blond whined in a low voice, as the surprisingly strong girl dragged him along.

While Naruto was being dragged off by Nora, a woman with wild black hair watched the boy she had raised from afar. A lone tear trailing down her cheek, but she quickly whipped into away and tried to toughen up.

"A ladies man like his dad." Raven Branwen began before opening a small red portal. "Be safe at Beacon my little annoying maelstrom." She mumbled before disappearing into the portal.

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(30 minutes later, Beacon Auditorium)

Eventually after dragging Naruto all across Beacon, Nora finally brought the blond to the auditorium for their orientation. Though along the way they both swore to hearing a rather loud explosion. They never found the cause of the explosion, considering Naruto had forced Nora's attention towards not being late for their orientation.

So currently the blond and orange haired duo were leaned against the far back wall of the auditorium. Nora was busy taking in all the sights and people, while Naruto was busy scanning the area for his sisters.

"Where are they?" Naruto mumbled in a low voice to himself, while impatiently tapping his foot.

"Where is who?" Nora asked, as she looked to her new friend with curiosity.

Naruto folded his arms and glanced down to Nora. "Nobody important." The blond lied, earning a pout from Nora.

"You better not be hiding something from your new friend, I won't forgive you." Nora took a pause and smirked. "Unless you make me some pancakes, can you make pancakes?"

Naruto chuckled nervously, Nora was definitely an odd girl to say the least. "Ummm yes?" The blond replied awkwardly, causing Nora to beam with joy.

"Well, then you'll have to make me pancakes everyday. After all, Ren can't make me pancakes anymore." Nora spoke in a low sad voice while looking down, but she quickly perked up. "Speaking of Ren where is he? I swear he hides so well he has to secretly be a ninja."

Naruto was about to speak, but the voice of Ozpin clearing his throat grabbed his attention.

"I will keep this brief." Ozpin began, while adjusting his glasses. "You have come here in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and I see wasted energy in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove knowledge will only take you so far. It's up to you to take the first step."

Ozpin stepped away from the microphone and began to walk away. This caused his assistant Glynda Goodwitch to step forward.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight, tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready, you're dismissed." Glynda instructed.

Nora turned to Naruto and smiled. "Well that was a weird speech and now we have an initiation?"

Naruto nodded and motioned for Nora to follow him. "That's Ozpin for you, and the initiation is Beacon's process of deciding partners and teams." The blond clarified. "My mom told me about it once before."

"Oh is your mom a huntress? Did she go to Beacon too?" Nora quickly asked.

Naruto smirked and ran a hand through his hair. "You could say that, but forget about her. She's a dusty old bird, let's head to the ballroom."

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(Later that night)

All the new students had gathered together in the ballroom. Everyone was dressed for the night and Naruto and Nora were no exception. Naruto had dressed into a simple pair of black shorts and a skin tight black muscle shirt, which showed off his impressive build. Nora like Naruto had decided to go with a pair of shorts, though her's were pink and quite short. She also had a pink shirt with a small white lighting bolt on the chest.

Currently the two new friends were off to the side talking up a storm. Naruto would have never imagined befriending the hyper teenager, but he was glad he did. Maybe his semblance was working for him earlier and he didn't even know it.

"So Naruto." Nora began in a happy tone. "I saw the two weapons on your backside earlier. Do you have a name for them?"

Naruto perked up at the question, his weapons was something he took pride in. "Well they are two wakizashis' that combine into one katana. So they share the same name Kitsune." He explained with a large smile. "What about you Nora?"

"Well my weapon is a giant hammer slash grenade launcher called Magnhild." Nora explained as she made a fist. "I pack quite the punch with Magnhild, even without my semblance."

Naruto chuckled, he didn't doubt the girl's strength one bit. "What's your semblance anyway?"

Nora grinned. "I can absorb electricity and use it to make myself stronger."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "That's quite impressive and useful." The blond praised.

"Heh thanks." Nora replied with a wide innocent smile that made Naruto blush. "What's your semblance?"

Naruto looked down and frowned. "My semblance isn't that great, it's more of a curse sometimes." The blond admitted in a low voice, before making a fake smile and looking up to Nora. "It's nowhere as great as your semblance Nora."

Nora tilted her head and brought a hand to Naruto's face. "Boop." The girl giggled, while lightly poking Naruto's nose with her finger. "I bet your semblance is great, so why don't you tell me about it?"

Naruto's fake smile turned into an honest grin, he didn't know why, but somehow Nora knew how to cheer him up.

"My semblance isn't like most people's, as it's something I can't turn off. It's always apart of me no matter what I do." Naruto explained in a plain voice. "See my semblance is good luck, I have more good luck than any living person could ever dream of. Though my luck takes away from those around me and leaves them with bad luck. It's great for fighting enemies, but not so great for friends and family. My semblance is why my mother took me away from my father and sister in the first place. She was afraid I would harm them because my semblance was so similar to hers."

Nora was a little surprised, Naruto was sharing a lot of personal information with her. Which of course left her with so many questions.

"Well if your semblance is good luck, what is your mother's bad luck?" Nora asked, but Naruto shook his head.

"See my family has shared the same form of semblance throughout the years. The Branwen family have always had semblances that work similar to mine, in the fact that it can't be controlled or shut off. Some of my family bring misfortune to those around them. Some have avoided sickness by bringing illnesses to those around them. My mother's semblance is death, she brings death to those around her. That's why when my twin sister was born she decided to leave her to protect her. See my sister was lucky and was born without a semblance from my mother's side of the family, but I wasn't as lucky. Which is an ironic use of words considering my semblance is luck."

"But wasn't your mother afraid her semblance would harm you?" Nora quickly asked.

Naruto smirked and shook his head. "Our semblances counterbalance each other. My good luck protects me from her death, and she deals with a little bad luck so I could have a family. Though because of how I was raised I've never met my father or my sisters. That's why I'm at Beacon, I'm here to find and meet my sisters."

Nora's eyes lit up. "That's who you were looking for earlier!" She shouted before placing a hand above her eyes and scanning the room. "Are they in here?"

Naruto laughed and tried to calm Nora down. "They are somewhere in here, but there is too many people to see. I know with my luck I'll find them soon enough, I just have to be patient."

"Aww that's no fun." Nora whined. "I wanna meet your sisters!"

"Well if you keep sticking by my side I'm sure you'll meet them eventually." Naruto admitted before looking down a little bit. "That's if you can deal with some bad luck."

Nora smiled wide. "You're my first friend since Ren, I'm not letting some silly luck keep us apart." The orange haired girl declared.

Naruto smiled he was glad to have made a friend like Nora on his first day at Beacon. She was kind, funny and a little crazy, but Naruto loved her personality. After spending seventeen years with his mother, it was nice to be close to someone who was the complete opposite of his mother.

"Well let's get some sleep Nora, tomorrow we get our teams picked. And if we are lucky we may end up as partners."

Nora smiled wide. "I hope so!"

Naruto grinned and started to unroll his sleeping bag. "Me too, goodnight Nora."

Nora nodded and searched through her bag. "Oh no I forgot my sleeping bag!" She shriked in a disappointed voice.

Naruto sighed. "And so it begins." The blond mumbled, before handing his sleeping bag to Nora. "Her take mine, I really don't need it."

Nora looked to the sleeping bag and raised her eyebrow. "Are you sure?" She asked in a low voice.

Naruto placed his arms behind his head and layed on the ground besides Nora. "Yeah it's fine." The blond replied, while closing his crimson eyes.

Nora smiled and poked Naruto once more on the nose. "Boop." She giggled out before jumping into the sleeping bag. "Goodnight Naruto."

Naruto grinned. "Night Nora."

Chapter End!

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Well here is the first chapter of a little project I've been thinking of for awhile. And thanks to the new episodes of RWBY I've been inspired to give it a try. So tell me what you think about it!

##SPOILERS##

##only read if you're caught up with all of the RWBY episodes##

So I have to ask you guys something that has been bugging me.

I've always liked the idea of Qrow being Ruby's dad.

-they dress alike

-he trained her

-has protected her multiple times, both in the past and present.

-was the one to explain everything after Vol 3 instead of Tai

-then there is the question as to why Ruby took her mother's name and not Tai's like Yang has.

My problem with the Qrow being Ruby's dad has always been it makes no sense. He has obviously been in her life so what's the point of lying about their relation? Though the newest episodes that revealed Qrow's semblance got me thinking.

If Qrow's semblance brings misfortune what if he decided to keep his distance from Ruby to protect her? So he decided to be the Uncle who is occasionally there instead of the father that is hardly there. Also what if Qrow's semblance got summer killed? Chances are he is not Ruby's father, but it's interesting to think about. But I would like to see it happen because like many Qrow is my favorite character.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Team JNNP

It was the morning of Naruto's initiation and currently the blond was fully dressed and brushing his teeth over a sink. He was moving at a rather slow pace while a bubbly and cheery Nora jumped all around behind him.

"Can you believe we have been here for a full twenty four hours? It's crazy to think I'm actually a student at Beacon. Don't you think so Naruto? Well do you?" Nora asked each question quickly, showing off that even in the morning she was full of energy. "It's even crazier that we are still together, not together together… not saying you're not handsome. But where was I going with this?"

The bombardment of questions and comments continued into breakfast, where the two sat down alone at a small table and ate some pancakes. Naruto was using his manors and slowly eating with the use of his knife and fork. While Nora on the other hand had a whole pancake hanging out of her mouth.

"Oh yeah I hope we end up on the same team today." Nora mumbled with a mouthful of pancake, before swallowing the entire thing whole and perking up. "Oh I have an idea, we need a plan to make sure we are on the same team! What if we bribe the headmaster? … no that won't work, he has a school."

Naruto rolled his eyes and their one sided conversation continued to their lockers. Where Naruto was busy equipping his weapons.

"I know we should make a signal, like a secret signal so we can find each other!" Nora purposed before getting into Naruto's face and poking his cheek. "Can you imitate a sloth?"

Naruto sighed and finished attaching his weapons to his back. "Nora… I don't think sloths make much noise." He admitted in a tired voice.

"That's why it's perfect! Nobody will suspect we are working together!" Nora declared happily, causing Naruto to smirk as he closed his locker.

"Let's get going Nora, we don't wanna be late do we?" Naruto asked, as he started to walk off.

Nora followed the blond closely and as they made their way away from the lockers. Both Naruto and Nora were unaware that Ruby and Yang had arrived to their own lockers just a few feet behind them.

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(Beacon Cliff)

Naruto and Nora were walking side by side as they arrived at the destination for their initiation. They both noticed they were not the first students to arrive, but by no means would they be the last either. As the duo approached a small gathering of students, Professor Ozpin who was standing in front of everyone waved the two down.

"Good morning Naruto, how are you and miss Valkyrie today?" Ozpin asked while giving the two a small smile.

"Fine Oz." Naruto replied in a annoyed tone that none of the students present would dream of using with their headmaster. In fact some were rather shocked at the blond's bluntness with Ozpin. "So what kind of dumbass initiation do you have planned?"

Nora and half of the students present stumbled forward at Naruto's question. While Glynda who was by Ozpin's side merely glared at the young Branwen.

"Young man!" Glynda began, but she stopped when Ozpin raised his hand and started to laugh.

"It's very fine Glynda, young Naruto takes after his mother a little too much it would seem." Ozpin spoke with a light chuckle, but as he adjusted his glasses he motioned his head to the line of students before him. "But I'm afraid I won't explain everything yet, I don't want to repeat myself after all. So why don't you stand on one of those platforms and wait."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and pulled out his flask. "Whatever you say Oz." The blond replied before taking a drink. "You heard the man Nora, let's go over there."

Nora followed Naruto and quickly leaned into the blond. "I don't think Glynda likes you very much." The orange haired girl pointed out, while looking over her shoulder to the scowling school teacher. "Maybe you should be a little more polite and not drink."

Naruto stopped walking and stood on one of the platforms. He then turned to Nora and was about to make a comment towards the girl's statement. However, a new unfamiliar voice grabbed his attention.

"Kid you're some kind of stupid starting trouble with the headmaster." The voice of a male to Naruto's right pointed out.

Naruto cocked his head to the side and glanced to the new voice out of the corner of his eye. The boy beside him had dark orange hair and was dressed in what appeared to be armor.

"Listen." Naruto drawled his voice out towards the boy beside him.

"Cardin." The boy cut in.

"Yeah I don't really care what your name is, just piss off." Naruto then turned to Nora and completely ignored the fuming boy beside him.

"What did you say bitch?" Cardin asked, while grabbing Naruto's shoulder and flipping the blond around to face him.

Naruto's blood red eyes focused on the hand grasping his shoulder. His right hand slightly tensing up into a fist. "It would be wise to get your hand off of me." The blond warned in a low near silent voice.

Cardin sneered. "Or what?"

Naruto slowly moved his eyes to meet Cardin's own, which instantly sent chills down the boy's spine. In fact Cardin quickly released his hold on Naruto and slightly backed away. He was terrified of the blond's glare alone, as he felt like Naruto was suffocating him with just his gaze.

Over to the side Ozpin observed the scene and silently sipped on his coffee. Naruto was just like his mother, a ticking time bomb of anger that could go off at any moment. The silver haired man even considered stepping into the conflict before things got out of hand and Cardin got hurt. However, Ozpin didn't have to because someone beat him to the punch. This someone just happened to be the blond's first and only friend, Nora Valkyrie.

As Nora grabbed Naruto's arm and gave the blond's bicep a small squeeze. The young Branwen relaxed and turned to face the girl. His anger filled eyes quickly turning soft as he looked into Nora's concerned filled ones.

"Just ignore him Naruto." The normally energetic girl instructed in a clam voice.

Naruto smiled at the girl's attempt to calm him down, so much so that he poked the girl on the nose. "Boop." He mumbled in a playful manner.

Nora blushed and swatted Naruto away playfully. "Hey that's my thing mister!" She yelled with a small pout as the two started to laugh.

Cardin jerked away and pretended to ignore the blond, he wouldn't admit it, but he was actually afraid of Naruto. The blond's glare alone was enough to make the bully back off and keep his distance from Naruto. So he really didn't want to see what the blond was actually capable of.

Ozpin on the other hand watched Naruto and Nora interact and could only smile. 'Just like how Tai always kept Raven in check I'm glad to see Naruto has someone to keep him in line. I do hope they end up as partners, from miss Valkyrie's file her and Naruto can both benefit from each other.'

As the time passed more students began to arrive at the location for the initiation. Though Naruto and Nora were so busy talking to each other, the blond didn't even notice his sisters who were at the end of the line. Eventually after everyone had arrived, Ozpin decided to step forward and explain to everyone the rules of the initiation.

"Let's get started." Ozpin began, earning everyone's attention. "You may have heard rumors about team placements, well know that your teams will be decided today."

Several gasps went throughout the students, but Nora and Naruto merely shared a smile of confidence.

"You will be launched into the forest behind me and the first person you come in contact with shall be your partner. I hope luck is on your side, as your partner will be with you for your entire time at Beacon."

Naruto smirked. "Luck is something I have an abundance of." The blond whispered in a low voice.

"Now once you have acquired a partner, you're to travel to the ruins in the middle of the forest. There you will find a relic, you and your partner will obtain a single relic and meet back here. Is that understood?" Ozpin asked, causing a few students to nod. "Good, then I wish you all good luck and be careful, the forest is full of dangerous creatures after all."

With that being said, the platforms began to fling the students into the forest. Naruto quickly looked over to Nora and gave the girl a smile.

"See you in the forest." The blond spoke, before being launched into the sky.

Nora nodded and grabbed her hammer. "He better not forget to make sloth noises." She mumbled before being flung into the air herself.

Over with Naruto, the blond was soaring across the sky at a blinding speed. Though as he slowly started to descend to the ground, Naruto grabbed both of his wakizashis' and quickly stabbed them into a tree. This caused him to come to a stop and allowed him to see the other students. More importantly it allowed him to see Nora come flying past him. She was riding on her harmer and using the grenades built into the weapon to propel her further.

"Damnit Nora." Naruto cursed as he started to jump between the trees and chase after the girl. "I'm not ending up partners with a dick like Cardin because you can't keep yourself from going overboard."

As Naruto chased after Nora he was unaware of the large Grimm following him from behind. Though as he jumped from one branch to another, the branch he landed on snapped. This caused the blond to fall towards the ground.

"That's surprisingly unlucky." Naruto mumbled in a low voice, but as a giant snake Grimm latched it's mouth onto the tree where he should have been he chuckled. "Yeah that seems more like it."

Naruto flipped himself around in midair and landed elegantly on his feet. He then watched as the snake slithered its way down the tree it had just bitten.

"Lets see what you've got!" Naruto challenged as he prepared himself for an attack. Though once he heard a sound from behind he jumped to the side. Moving with just enough speed to avoid the second snake Grimm. "And there is two of them, that's just great!"

Naruto placed his wakizashis' together and pressed a button. This caused the two blades to expand out and begin to connect together forming a black and white katana.

"I need to hurry and find Nora, so I'll make this quick." Naruto spoke in a low voice before sprinting after one of the Grimm.

The Grimm opened its large mouth and launched its head towards Naruto. The blond didn't waver however, he simply jumped over the Grimm's head and moved his sword in a quick downward arc before landing on the ground.

"One down." Naruto noted with a proud smirk, while looking over his shoulder to the headless Grimm. "Now for the other-..."

Naruto stopped speaking and quickly spun around, so he could bring his sword up to guard against the second snake Grimm. The blade of his sword Kitsune clashed against the large fangs of the Grimm. Causing the teenager and creature to engage in a fierce battle for dominance, one that Naruto was slowly winning. Though showing quick resourcefulness and intelligence, the snake batted Naruto's away with a strong surprise attack using its tail.

The blow caused Naruto to go rolling down the forest floor, but showing off his combat experience. Naruto planted his hand onto the ground and pushed himself high into the air. He then did a few flips midair before landing onto a tree branch in a crouched position.

"Not bad." Naruto commented before standing straight up and letting Kitsune fall to his side. "But compared to my mom you hit like a bitch. Though some would say those two are the same thing-..."

Once again, Naruto stopped mid speech as the Grimm launched a straightforward attack towards him. Though the creature missed the blond by a mile, since Naruto avoided the strike by leaping away.

"Alright, no small talk." Naruto grumbled while dropping into a sword stance. His crimson eyes focusing on the Grimm that was coiling itself around the tree he was standing at only moments ago. "Let's end this!"

The snake unleashed a loud hiss and lunged at Naruto, that latter of whom stood his ground and didn't move. Then in a split second, right before the Grimm was about to bite down onto Naruto's body the blond jumped into action.

"Take this!" Naruto shouted as he swung Kitsune right into the mouth of the Grimm. Then by unleashing a loud battle cry, Naruto started to move forward and run his blade through the Grimm's body. "You're finished!" Naruto declared before he finished cutting the Grimm into two perfect halves.

Backing away from the snake, Naruto watched as the creature started to disappear into a dark black smoke showing it was dead. He then turned Kitsune backed into their wakizashi form and started to walk. However, he stopped as he heard rustling in the trees. Which made him wonder if more Grimm were trying to attack him.

"Caw! Caw! Caw!" A familiar voice called out towards Naruto, causing him to smile.

"Nora." The young Branwen began, while Nora who was hanging on a tree branch above him appeared by his head. "I don't think that's the sound a sloth makes."

Nora giggled and tapped Naruto on the nose. "Boop!" The orange haired girl spoke playfully while flipping out of the tree. "Looks like we are partners!"

Naruto grinned and started to walk. "Wouldn't have it any other way." He informed his one and only friend. "Let's go find us a relic."

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(On the Cliffside with Ozpin)

As Ozpin watched his students with various cameras hidden throughout the forest, he could only smile as he focused on two students in particular. These two were of course the two newly formed partners of Naruto and Nora.

"It would appear some of the students are finding their partners. And I'm glad to see Mr. Branwen and Miss. Valkyrie have been matched together." Ozpin admitted to the woman by his side.

Glynda rolled her eyes. "Why would you think that Ozpin? The boy has the same undesirable traits as his mother and even some from his uncle. While the Nora girl is hyperactive and from her files a little unstable. They are a terrible match for one another."

Ozpin smirked and took a sip from his coffee mug. "An old friend once told me to look underneath the underneath. See when I look at Naruto and Nora I see two young souls who bring out the best in each other by supplementing what the other lacks."

Glynda shook her head. "I still disagree with you on this one. They will be at each other's throats within a month."

Ozpin nodded. "And you're free to think that way, but it looks like we are about to have our first pair of students obtain a relic. And it looks like it would be Naruto's very own sister Yang Xiao Long."

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(With Yang)

Yang was currently smiling wide, as she held a white knight chess piece in her hand. Her partner Blake Belladonna merely looked to her partner with an approving look.

"Well Blake that was easy." Yang proclaimed in a casual voice, earning a nod for the black haired girl.

Blake opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as she heard two loud shrieks. Looking up into the sky Blake was hit was a small wave of confusion. "Is that your sister and the Ice Queen, riding a Nevermore?"

Yang looked up and squinted her eyes. Then as she noticed the large bird like Grimm and the two girls hitching a ride she nodded.

"Yeah that's them…." Yang mumbled in a low voice, but as she saw Ruby leap off the Nevermore she ran forward to catch her baby sister. "I got you!" Yang shouted as she held her hands out to Ruby.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted in a happy voice, while landing into her sister's arms. "Thanks for the save!"

Yang grinned and placed her sister onto the ground. "Anytime you need saving sis just drop on by." The elder sister replied, earning a groan from her partner. Blake didn't know if she could stomach four years of terrible jokes and puns.

"Well how do you plan to get the Ice Queen down?" Blake asked the two sisters, earning a shrug from Ruby.

"I don't know, I told her to jump." The small girl admitted innocently, while looking up. "Hurry up and jump Weiss!"

Blake looked up and waited for the girl to jump, because of Weiss's family the Faunus didn't care for the airess all that much. So she really didn't care if the white haired girl got down safely.

"Maybe we can shoot her down." Yang proposed, causing Ruby to frown and Blake to contemplate the idea. "Nah that's a crazy and stupid idea."

Though before a group consensus could be made about helping Weiss, a loud roar of a Grimm caught their attention. Readying their weapons and turning to the forest, all three girls prepared for an attack.

What they were not prepared for was the sight of one Nora Valkyrie, who came riding out of the tree line on top of an Ursa. Her ride came to a quick halt however, as the Grimm fell over dead and made the orange haired girl frown as she hopped off.

"Oh no Naruto I broke it!" Nora whined as she looked over the dead creature. "Can we find another one?"

The three girls watched as Naruto slowly walked up behind Nora and sighed. "Nora sometimes you're un-bear-able." The blond joked, earning a loud snort from Nora as she slapped his shoulder.

"Was she riding an Ursa?" Ruby asked the two older girls.

Instead of answering her sister Yang giggled. "Heh un-bear-able, that's gold!"

Blake looked at the two blond's and groaned. "Oum help me there is two of them!"

Hearing the voices of the girl's talking about them, Nora and Naruto turned to the small group. Both their eyes growing wide for different reasons, Nora got excited as she saw the relics they had to obtain. While Naruto looked to the faces of his two sisters with shock, after seventeen years he finally had the chance to meet them.

Nora was the first to move as she ran over and grabbed a white rook piece. "Naruto I got at it and look at me! I'm the queen of the castle!" She declared while holding the chess piece high above her head.

Naruto momentarily forgot about his partner and walked towards the girl's. His eyes focusing on Yang and Ruby.

"Yang, Ruby, it's nice to meet you." Naruto began while stopping a few feet away from the girls.

Ruby titled her head to the side. "Do I know you buddy?" The small teenager asked, earning a chuckle from Naruto.

Yang looked her fellow blond over, everything from his facial features to even the way he held himself. It reminded Yang of herself, but as she gazed into his crimson eyes she narrowed her own. She had seen those eyes before, in old pictures her father had of her mother and brother.

"Who are you? How do you know me and Ruby?" Yang demanded to know.

Naruto smirked and folded his arms, they really didn't know who he was, but that was somewhat expected. "My mother told me about you two." The blond replied cryptically, as he decided to have a little fun with his sisters.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, while Yang looked to the boy with a slight build up in her chest. Thinking to herself it couldn't be him, the boy she was talking to couldn't be her brother.

"Well you see-..."

"Naruto!" Nora interrupted, as she jumped onto the blond and snaked her arms around his head and placed the chess piece into his face. "Look I got the relic!"

Naruto chuckled and patted Nora's head. "That's nice Nora, but I'm trying to talk to those people I told you about earlier."

Nora who was hanging off of Naruto cocked her head to the side and studied the three girl's. "Wait are these girl's your sisters!" She shouted loudly, earning three dropped mouths and one sigh.

"Awww you ruined my fun Nora, I wasn't going to tell them yet." Naruto whined as he poked the girl on the forehead and pushed her off of him. "No pancakes for a week."

"Aww no fair!" Nora argued back while making a small pout. "You can't do that to me!"

Naruto laughed. "You're right, I'll just have to cut you off a little bit." The blond replied.

"Wait." Blake began while pointing to Ruby and Yang. "You two have a brother? How did you not recognize him?"

Ruby frowned as she looked up to Yang, the latter of whom was trembling. "Yang we have a brother?" The youngest of the siblings asked.

Yang whose eyes were now glowing as red as her twin's slowly nodded. Her right hand quickly latching onto Naruto's shirt while her left moved back for a punch. "Where have you two been for all these years?" Yang demanded to know.

Naruto didn't give away any emotions, instead he looked to his twin with a blank expression. "Here and there, mom liked to move around a lot. She was never one to stay in a single place for long. But you know that just as well as I do."

"You think this is funny?" Yang yelled while she debated decking her brother as hard as she could. "Dad and Uncle Qrow have been searching for the both of you for years!"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I do find a few things funny." He admitted with a small smirk. "Like this little imitation act you're doing, it's a poor facade. You're trembling, on the verge of crying and have no intentions of harming me." Naruto placed his hand onto Yang's and removed her hold on him. "So why don't you drop the act Yang."

"Why are you here? After all these years!" Yang yelled, while she started to lightly punch her brother on the chest in great repetition. "Tell me damnit!"

Naruto stood still and allowed Yang to continue to hit his chest. She was starting to slow down and her eyes had already returned to their normal color, but now she was crying.

"I ran away from home to meet you and Ruby." Naruto revealed, as he placed his arms around Yang and brought her into a hug. "Mom was pretty pissed, but she is rarely not pissed."

Yang moved her arms around her twin and tightened her hold. "I have so many questions and I also want to kick your ass. But I'm glad I've at least found you, I can't wait to tell dad."

Naruto laughed. "I'll try to help you as much as I can." The blond mumbled while looking over to Ruby and raised his eyebrow. "Would you like a hug as well little sister?"

"I'm so confused!" Ruby admitted in a cute childish voice. "Yang how do we have a brother?"

Yang chuckled and backed away from her brother. "Ruby I would like you to meet my twin and your older brother Naruto." The blond female introduced causing Naruto to wave at the girl. "When we were little our mother ran off with Naruto and never returned. Dad never talked about him or mom much, that's why you don't know about him."

"Oh, well hey big bro. Can you make cookies?" Ruby asked, causing Naruto to have a sweat drop on his head.

"Well you match mother's description of Summer." The blond admitted.

Yang narrowed her eyes. "Where is our mother anyway?" She asked, hoping to learn where her other family member was.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows, the tribe is nomadic thanks to all the Grimm in the wild. Plus mom pretty much told me to not come crawling back to her for running away to meet you two. So your guess is as good as mine." Naruto admitted while looking high into the air. "But who needs that grouchy old bird? And one question, what's with the chick on the Nevermore?"

Ruby placed her hands onto her cheeks and shriked. "Ahhhh, we forgot about Weiss!"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Oh well, you could always get a new partner." The stoic Faunus pointed out.

Yang placed her hand under her chin. "We should at least try to help her."

Naruto snickered and looked over to Nora. "Don't worry me and Nora go this one." The blond declared before looking to his partner. "Nora shoot her down."

Ruby, Yang and even Blake all turned pale, as none of the three thought the two were serious… truly they didn't know Nora Valkyrie and Naruto Branwen, both of whom were quite serious.

Nora got a gleam in her eyes and she pointed her weapon up at the Nevermore and Weiss. "I'm on it!" She yelled while firing multiple shots at the Nevermore.

The Nevermore released a loud shriek as dozens of explosions went off around its body. This caused the beast to shake its body violently around in the air. Making Weiss bounce up and down while she held on for dear life.

"What are you imbeciles doing?" Weiss yelled in fear.

Naruto scratched his forehead and glanced over to Nora. "Try blasting her off of the Nevermore." The blond purposed. "Or maybe blow the Nevermore's head off. She will come down one way or another."

Nora nodded and pointed her weapon at Weiss and the Nevermore once more. Though before she could fire a loud cry of fear caused her to stop. "Is there another girl in trouble?" The energetic girl asked.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and found a blond haired boy running towards him. While he ran another teenager with red hair was right on his heel. Though the girl seemed a little more brave, as she was constantly trying to fight off the Death Stalker that was chasing them.

"Is that puke boy?" Yang asked, while glancing down to her sister.

"Yeah it is." Ruby answered with a sweat drop.

Blake opened her mouth, but she went silent as a white blur crashed down onto her body. This caught Nora's attention, who looked down to Blake who had a rather irritated Weiss on her.

"Well that's one problem solved." Nora declared with a large grin.

Blake groaned in pain, which caused her partner to snicker. "Looks like you got some bad luck there Blake." Yang chuckled, while her twin coughed awkwardly into his hand.

"You buffoons!" Weiss roared in anger, while glaring at Naruto and Nora. "What were you thinking!"

Naruto put a finger to Weiss's lips and grabbed his flask with his free hand. "Shhh, your loud mouth is ruining my buzz." The blond replied before taking a long drink from his flask.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Great you have a drinking problem like Uncle Qrow." The youngest twin mumbled.

Naruto snickered. "Blame mom, she had me drinking by the time I was seven." Naruto revealed before taking another large drink. "And it's not a problem, I can stop anytime I wish. I just don't want to stop."

Blake moved Weiss off of her and stood up. "That's great and all, but should we help those two?" The black haired teenager asked, earning a few nods from the girl's and a shrug from Naruto.

"I got this!" Ruby declared, while extending Crescent Rose into its scythe form and taking off towards the death stalker.

"Ruby wait!" Yang yelled as she tossed a hand out to stop her sister, but it was too late.

Ruby quickly passed Jaune and the retreating Pyrrha. Then by lifting her weapon over her shoulder she moved in for the attack. Though as she moved, Ruby was completely ignoring the Nevermore from above. This proved to be a major mistake, as the Nevermore moved its wings in Ruby's direction and fired razor sharp feathers down onto the girl. A vast majority of the projectiles missed their mark thanks to Ruby's speed, but one managed to catch her cape. This in turned caused the girl to come to a fast stop and fall onto her backside.

"Ouch." Ruby whined, before she looked up in horror to the Death Stalked looming over her. "Oh no!"

"Ruby!" Yang yelled in fear as she prepared to run forward.

"It's going to get her!" Jaune shouted in fear, while he watched the Death Stalker move its stinger back for a strike.

Pyrrha looked over her shoulder and started to turn her body. She planned to rescue the brash girl, but she didn't know if she was fast enough.

"We have to help her!" Blake yelled.

"That dolt." Weiss spoke with worry, while preparing to spring forward.

"Naruto we have to save her!" Nora began before she heard a clicking noise, which caused her to turn her head over to Naruto. Though oddly enough the blond was nowhere to be seen.

Ruby looked up to the Death Stalker and closed her eyes, while raising her arms to guard herself. "Ahhhhhhhhh!" The small girl cried out, while everyone watched on in horror as the Death Stalker moved in for the kill.

Time seemed to freeze for Ruby, as she waited for her demise at the hands of a Grimm. Though after a few minutes Ruby realized time wasn't frozen and the Grimm still hadn't impaled her with its stinger. So as she opened her eyes, Ruby was met with the cocky smirk of her older brother. The latter of whom was standing overtop of her, while his sword Kitsune was over his head and blocking the Death Stalker's stinger with ease.

"You okay Ruby?" Naruto asked in a calm and caring voice, his crimson eyes looking her over for any injuries.

A tear trailed down Ruby's eye and she nodded. "Yeah, I am now." She replied with a large grin.

Naruto smiled. "Good, now let me take care of this Grimm for you." The blond replied before tightening his muscles, then in one quick motion he spun around and sliced the Death Stalker's stinger off with one clean cut.

Naruto wasn't near finished, as he stabbed his katana deep into the head of the Grimm. Then as the creature twitched, Naruto pulled his foot backwards before releasing a powerful kick into the Death Stalker. Hitting the beast with enough force to send in flying off his sword and into the forest.

Everyone watching looked to Naruto with a gaping mouth, while Nora clapped her hands and jumped up and down.

"Way to go Naruto, that's my partner!" The orange haired girl cheered, while she sported a large smile on her face.

"I've never seen someone kick a Grimm that hard, let alone one as large as a Death Stalker." Blake mumbled in surprise, while he eyes glanced over the oldest of the three siblings.

"Just who is that guy?" Weiss asked. "I didn't even see him move."

Yang let an awkward chuckle pass her lips. "My twin brother." The younger sister explained in a low voice, as she didn't expect her brother to be so powerful.

Jaune who was worried about his friend, ran over to where Naruto and Ruby were standing.

"Ruby are you okay?" The boy with the shield and sword in hand asked.

Ruby pulled her cape free and looked up to her brother, the latter of whom was looking up into the sky. "Yeah thanks to my big brother I'm fine." The small girl replied, while tossing the Nevermore feather to the side. "I just got a little unlucky it seems."

"That's goo-... WAIT! you have a brother!" Jaune yelled while looking over to Naruto.

Ruby scratched her head. "Yeah I do, he's Yang's twin actually." She clarified.

"Which explains why he kicks so much ass!" Yang yelled, while walking over to the group with the rest of the girl's following her. "I mean damn bro you're fast and strong! Where did you learn to do that?"

Naruto kept his gaze in the sky and frowned. "Our mom trained me." He explained in an offhand voice, while he continued to look around the sky.

Yang looked down. "That makes sense." She replied softly.

Pyrrha looked to Naruto and held her hand out, she was assumed by many to be the strongest student at Beacon. Though from watching Naruto's speed and strength, she knew they were on different levels of power. However, she wasn't jealous, in fact she was actually happy to meet someone who could help her strive to be better.

"Thank you for the assistance." Pyrrha began in a kind voice. "Your skills are quite impressive."

Naruto nodded and waved the girl off. "No problem." The blond replied, earning a growl of anger from Weiss. Who didn't care for his rude attitude.

"Why don't you show some manors!" Weiss yelled, before gritting her teeth when Naruto didn't even look at her. "And what are you looking at!"

Naruto glanced over to Weiss and massaged his forehead. "One I'm not drunk enough to deal with you. And I'm looking for the Nevermore which has disappeared."

Blake looked at Naruto in confusion. "So it flew away? Not hard to figure out."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Nevermores never flee, they are relentless creatures that attack until someone dies. So that presents the question, where is the Nevermore?"

Nora titled her head. "Maybe someone else killed it, there is plenty of other people in the forest." She pointed out, causing the group to nod in agreement. All except Naruto.

"That would be true, but the Nevermore flew in a direction opposite of the starting point of this little test. So there is no one in that direction, which means if the Nevermore was killed. It wasn't killed by a student of this school." Naruto explained.

Nora titled her head, "then who killed it?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I have an idea, but we have our relic so let's get out of here." The blond replied as he started to walk away.

Nora nodded with a small smile and followed Naruto back to the starting point. While they walked away everyone watched the duo before their minds clicked and they followed Naruto and Nora's lead.

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(Beacon Auditorium)

Naruto stood off to the side with Nora by his hip, both teenagers were looking to the four girls standing by their headmaster.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long." Ozpin began, while each girl's picture appeared on a large screen overhead. The first letter of their names appearing under their portraits. "The four of you obtained the white knight pieces. So from here on out you shall be known as team RWBY, lead by Ruby Rose."

The auditorium erupted into loud applause and cheers, while Naruto gave his sisters a small nod of approvement. Nora on the other hand started to yell loudly and cheer the four girls on. This of course caused Naruto to laugh at his friend's outgoing behavior.

"Now would Jaune Arc, Naruto Branwen, Nora Valkyrie and Pyrrha Nikos please come forward." Ozpin instructed, while team RWBY walked away.

Naruto and his future team walked up and stood in front of Ozpin. Each teenager looking to the man with a different look. Naruto was uncaring, Nora was overly excited, Jaune was nervous and Pyrrha appeared confident. This caused Ozpin to smirk, they were by far his favorite team placed together this year.

"The four of you retrieved the white rook piece. So you four shall be known as team JNNP, lead by Jaune Arc." Ozpin explained with a proud smile. "Congratulations."

Once again applause went off in the large room, causing the newly formed team to smile. Well all except their leader.

"Me leader?" Jaune mumbled in surprise, as he felt he was the last person who should be leading his team. "Surely this is a mistake."

Pyrrha smiled and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "You'll be a fine leader."

Naruto joined in with a smirk. "I agree, you're the only logical choice. I'm always too drunk to lead, Nora is Nora and I'm sure Pyrrha isn't cut out for leadership either." The blond pointed out, while Nora laughed.

"What Naruto means is that we all have faith in you Jaune!" Nora declared.

The support of his team caused Jaune to smile as the four started to walk off. "Thanks guys, why don't we head to our dorm together then." The newly appointed leader purposed. "We can talk and get to know each other as we walk."

Pyrrha grinned. "That's a lovely idea Jaune." She replied, while looking to Naruto and Nora. "What do you two say?"

Nora waved the two off and turned back around to face Ozpin. "I'll catch up later, I want to see what team Ren gets on." She explained, earning confused looks from her two new teammates.

Naruto flashed Jaune and Pyrrha both a soft smile. "I'll stay here with Nora, why don't you guys head out. We will catch up after the ceremony." The red eyed teen explained, while he placed his hand on Nora's shoulder.

Jaune was still confused, but as Pyrrha and Naruto locked eyes. The red haired female understood what was happening and started to lead Jaune away.

"Let's go Jaune." Pyrrha began in a soft voice, as she walked away. "We have a lot of unpacking to do."

"But we were the last-..." Jaune began but Pyrrha jerked him around and frowned.

"I know." The redhead replied, cutting her friend off. "I know."

Naruto glanced down to Nora who was watching everyone leave with a frown. "Did they forget about Ren?" The pancake loving girl whined, as the auditorium started to clear out. "Or did we miss him?"

The blond Branwen placed his hand onto Nora's and gave the girl a soft comforting squeeze. "Hey Nora why don't we go get some pancakes." The blond purposed in a low voice.

Nora perked up and looked to Naruto with a large smile. "That sounds great!" The girl replied, her mood doing a complete one eighty. While she took the opportunity to jump onto Naruto's back. "Take me to the pancakes my trusty partner!"

Naruto shook his head and started to walk off, while Nora rode happily on his backside. While this happened Ozpin watched the two teenagers with an approving smile. He had seen the whole scene and was glad to see the small interaction between the two.

"You may be just like your mother Naruto, but you still have your father's kind heart." Ozpin mumbled to himself, before he started to walk away.

Chapter End

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Well here is the next chapter, tell me what you think! And I also want to take the time to thank everyone for the amazing feedback! The first chapter did so well so I must thank everyone for your kind words and support.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Family is more than blood

It has been one full week since Team JNNP and Team RWBY have been formed. Since then the eight teenagers who constructed both teams had transitioned into their new environment quite easily, well all except Naruto. See when it came to fighting Naruto was exceptionally gifted, but when it came to learning and attending classes things weren't that easy. So that explains why the blond haired teenager was reclining back in his chair and looking at the ceiling, rather than paying attention to Professor Port's current lecture.

To Naruto's left he had his team by his side, while to his right he had his sisters and their teammates by him. His friends and family were all busy trying to pay close attention to the current lecture, which was over the various known types of Grimm.

'Man this sucks.' Naruto thought to himself, while he tugged on the collar of his school uniform. 'Boring lectures, shitty uniforms and no drinking during class. I hate school.'

"Mr. Branwen."

'Maybe I could sneak out?' Naruto thought to himself, while he was unaware of the individual calling his name.

"Mr. Branwen!"

'Or I could ask to use the bathroom and just not come back.' Naruto schemed, while the voice continued to call his name in repetition.

"Mr. Branwen are you listening!" The voice of Professor Port yelled one final time.

Nora slammed her elbow into her friend and brought him out of his daze. This of course caused Naruto to look at the orange haired girl.

"What was that for?" Naruto asked.

Nora motioned her eyes towards the front of the classroom. Following her gaze, Naruto raised his eyebrow as he noticed the scowl on their professor's face.

"Need something teach?" Naruto asked casually, while giving the man a small grin.

Port folded his arms and tapped his foot onto the ground. "Mr. Branwen, maybe you could tell me about the values that make a true huntsman and huntress."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Be good at killing Grimm and even better at not letting them kill you." The blond answered casually, which in turn made his professor frown. While his two sisters and partner giggled at his words, but some of the other students like Weiss were annoyed by his answer.

"No, a true huntsman must be honorable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well educated and wise. So do you believe you embody these traits?" Port asked in a serious tone, one that Naruto shrugged off once again.

"Ehhhh sure why not?" The blond replied.

Weiss slammed her hands onto her desk and glared at the blond haired teenager. "Are you kidding me? You are just like your sister! Immature, annoying and many other undesirable traits. You embody the complete opposite of what a huntsman and huntress is!"

Naruto glanced over to Weiss and rolled his eyes, he really didn't care for her stuck up attitude one bit. Professor Port on the other hand chuckled and looked up to Naruto.

"Mr. Branwen, it seems someone is contesting the notion that you embody the traits of a true huntsman. Why don't you step forward and defend your statement with a small demonstration?" Port purposed, while motioning for Naruto to join him in the front of the classroom. "Though if you agree with miss Schnee's accusations you are more than free to remain seated."

Naruto pondered over the idea, he didn't care what anyone thought about him. Though whatever his teacher had planned had to be better than listening to a boring lecture. So as Naruto rose from his seat and made his way to the front of the class, everyone's eyes slowly followed him.

"Alright, what's this little demonstration you have?" Naruto asked, while standing a few feet from his professor.

Port chuckled at the boy's bluntness and walked over to his desk. He then pressed a small button and looked to Naruto, while a cage rose from a trap door in the floor.

"Why you shall do what any huntsman would do, engage in combat with a fierce Grimm of course!" Port answered, while the cage started to shake violently. "You may be excused for a moment to fetch your weapons."

Naruto placed his hands into his pockets and stood across the cage. This allowed him to see the creature that was thrashing around inside the small confinement. It appeared to be no more than a small Grimm, which resembled a boar.

"Nah, I won't need my weapons. Let's just get this over with." Naruto replied in a bored and uninterested tone.

Many students looked at the young Branwen like he was insane, as fighting a Grimm unarmed was normally a very poor idea. However, a few students were worried about Naruto. Those people of course being his teammates and sisters, but his partner Nora wasn't worried one bit.

Ruby placed her hands to her mouth and tensed up a little. "Is he serious?" The small girl asked, her voice filled with worry. As she didn't want her newly found older brother to get injured.

Weiss let loose a loud huff and crossed her arms. "He's going to hurt himself trying to act tough." The white haired girl declared, while glancing to her partner. "Guess recklessness runs in the family."

Yang tightened her fists and glared at Weiss, like her twin she didn't care for the girl's attitude. However, Yang kept her mouth shut. Jaune on the other hand was a little more vocal, but his main focus was on his teammates Pyrrha and Nora.

"Do you guys think Naruto will be okay? Can he fight a Grimm without his weapons?" The blond haired Arc asked in a low whisper.

Pyrrha placed her gaze down towards her teammate. "Honestly Jaune I don't know, but he's our teammate. So I'll place my faith in him and hope no misfortune befalls him."

Jaune nodded and looked over to Nora, the latter of whom was looking down at her partner with a large smile. "What about you Nora?"

Nora looked over to her two teammates and let a small laugh pass her lips. "Naruto's got this." The energetic girl declared, showing how much faith she had in the boy. Though she quickly placed her hands around her mouth and looked at her partner. "Show them what you got Naruto!"

Turning his head slightly to Nora, the blond flashed his partner a confident grin. He then turned to his professor and gave the man a blank expression. "Well I'm ready whenever you are." Naruto informed, while he kept his hands in his pockets.

Port frowned, while his hand hovered over the release button for the cage. "Well if you insist on fighting without a weapon I won't stop you. Best of luck to you Mr. Branwen." The man said before pressing the button.

Naruto turned his attention to the cage and watched the door swing open. Which allowed the Grimm to come barreling out of the cage and come charging right at Naruto. The creature quickly lowered its head and pointed its tusks as it ran, showing it intended to impale the blond.

Many of the students either closed their eyes or kept their gaze glued to Naruto. As some didn't want to see him get injured like Ruby, while others watched to see what the outcome would be.

Though many were shocked when Naruto didn't move in the slightest. He just stood still with his hands in his pockets, while the Grimm was only a few feet away from him. This caused a vast majority of the class to believe that Naruto had got himself into a situation that he couldn't handle. All except one orange haired girl.

"Break its neck Naruto!" Nora shouted out in a gleeful voice.

Naruto smirked at his partner's words and slowly raised his right leg. "If you say so." The blond mumbled in a low voice, while he watched the Grimm take a small leap towards him.

The class watched in awe, when in a fraction of a second Naruto moved his leg faster than anyone could see and pinned the boar down with his foot. His shoe firmly pressing down onto the neck of the squirming and snarling Grimm.

"My mother once told me something." Naruto began in a low voice, his emotionless eyes gazing at the creature under his foot. "There is no such thing as traits that make up a true huntsman. Virtues like honor and courage don't mean anything."

Naruto glanced up to his fellow classmates, his intimidating crimson gaze giving them all chills. "She told me only one thing matters, the strong live." Naruto began before pressing his foot down, causing a loud bone chilling crunching noise to ring throughout the classroom. "And the weak die."

Naruto removed his foot off of the dead Grimm and started to walk back to his seat. While he did this, everyone watched the blond with a mixture of looks. Some were amazed by Naruto's ability, while others were a little frightened of the way he spoke and looked to the class. Though as he took his seat, Nora quickly latched onto him.

"Way to go, you did it!" Nora congratulated in a happy voice. "You even listened to me and broke its neck!"

Naruto laughed and patted Nora's head. "Glad you enjoyed the little show." The blond replied, before he felt his twin punch his arm. Turning his head to Yang, the blond gave his sister a sour look. "Hey what was that for?"

"For making me worry." The brash twin replied, while holding a fist out to bump. "But that was still awesome."

Naruto laughed and bumped fists with his twin. Ruby on the other hand leaned over and looked to her brother. "Hey how did you learn to do that anyway?" The youngest of the siblings asked.

Naruto sighed. "Well my mom taught me everything I know about fighting. And one of her favorite training methods was making her nine year old son fight Death Stalkers and other wild Grimm without a weapon." He explained in a sarcastic voice. "She was real mother of the year material growing up."

Yang looked down, she was always a little hurt when she listened to her brother talk about his relationship with their mother. They were obviously close by some of the stories Naruto had shared, and it hurt Yang as she didn't know why Raven left with her twin all those years ago.

Naruto noticed his sister's depressed mood and opened his mouth to talk with her, but the sound of the academy's intercom caught his attention.

"Would Naruto Branwen, Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose please report to the headmaster's office at once." The voice of Ozpin instructed.

Nora laughed and leaned into her partner. "Looks like someone is in trouble." The girl teased.

Naruto glanced to Nora and flashed his canines. "When am I not in trouble?" The blond joked as he stood up and looked to his sisters. "Though I'm curious as to what Oz wants. Any ideas sis?"

Yang shrugged her shoulders. "Your guess is as good as mine." She replied.

"Fair enough." Naruto mumbled as he and his two sisters left the classroom and headed in the direction of Ozpin's office.

It didn't take the three long to maneuver through the academy and make their way to the door leading into Ozpin's office. Naruto was in the lead and as he grabbed the door handle his youngest sister called out to him.

"Naruto shouldn't we knock first?" Ruby asked in a low voice.

Naruto gave his sister a strange look. "Pfffttt no." The eldest replied before opening the door and taking a step inside. "What the hell did you want Oz?"

Ozpin who was seated at his desk smiled and watched the three siblings enter the room. "Naruto it's nice to see you as well." The headmaster replied, before motioning to an individual sitting across from him. "But I don't need anything from you three. However, my associate here really wanted to see you three, especially you Naruto."

Naruto folded his arms over his chest and watched as the person Ozpin motioned to stood up and looked at him and his sisters. This of course allowed Naruto to instantly recognize the man standing a few feet away.

"Dad!" Ruby and Yang yelled, while they barreled into the man and gave him a hug.

Tai laughed and embraced his two girls. "My sunny little dragon and beautiful rose. I'm so glad to see you both." He revealed in a soft voice, but he quickly moved his eyes to Naruto and gave the blond a smile. "Hey there Naruto, I guess you know who I am."

Naruto huffed and gave the man a plain look. "Father." The blond spoke in a flat voice that made the man shutter. Everything from his voice, appearance and attitude reminded Tai of his former lover Raven.

"You really are Raven's kid." Tai replied with an awkward chuckle. "Wanna give your old man a hug?"

Naruto remained still and looked his father over. "Not really, but I'm assuming you're here because Yang told you I was here."

Tai nodded. "I wanted to meet my son after so many years apart. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of person you turned out to be, but it seems you're a copy of your mother. At least you got my hair color." The blond haired father pointed out with a small laugh.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "As much as I hate to admit it, me and mom are indeed very similar. Though she was the one who raised me, so that should be expected." The blond mumbled in a low voice before placing his hands in his pockets. "Though I'm sure you're not here to see my similarities to my mother. You probably wish to ask me about myself."

Tai nodded and gave his son a wide grin. "I'm going to take you three out of class early today for a family lunch. It would be nice to talk and eat as a family. So what do you say?"

Yang and Ruby both looked to their brother, hoping he would say yes to the invitation.

"You had me at getting out of class early." Naruto replied with a happy smirk.

"Alright let's get going kids!" Tai shouted in a happy voice, as he was overjoyed to have all three of his children together.

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(30 minutes later)

Currently the small reunited family of four was seated inside of a small restaurant located in the town outside of Beacon. The three children and father all sat in relative silence, as no one knew how to begin a conversation. This of course caused everyone to look at Naruto with an awkward stare. While each family member tried to think of a topic to strike a conversation with the blond.

Though the awkward looks were eventually growing on Naruto's nerves. So he grabbed his flask and decided to take a quick drink. An action that caused his father's jaw to drop.

"You drink? You're only seventeen!" Tai yelled in shock, while Yang and Ruby both released a long sigh. As they already knew about their brother's habit.

Naruto moved his head to the side and rolled his eyes. "If you got a problem take it up with my mom, she was the one who got me started." The blond replied before taking another drink.

Tai groaned. "Yeah giving her under aged son alcohol, that sounds like Raven." The father of three pointed out. "How has your mother been anyhow?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "If she was a bossy, arrogant and easy to piss off woman seventeen years ago she hasn't changed much." The younger male explained in a plain voice. "I'd say the only difference you would find is she sometimes acts like a mother."

Yang frowned at the mention of Raven acting like a mother, that was a relationship the young girl yearned for. A relationship that her twin has had for seventeen years. Tai noticing Yang's downward look decided to place a comforting hand on his daughter.

"Well that's enough talk about Raven, tell me about you Naruto. I want to know my son more." Tai began, as he tried to shift the conversation away from Raven for the sake of his daughter.

"Well what is there to know? I like drinking, fighting and I wanted to reconnect with my sisters and no one else." Naruto replied quickly, while causing his father to frown. Since Tai was starting to get the impression that Naruto didn't want anything to do with him.

"Well did you have any friends growing up?" Tai asked, trying to get somewhere in the conversation.

"Unless you count my weapon than no." Naruto answered.

Tai frowned at the quick reply, but Ruby perked up at the mention of Naruto's weapons.

"Tell me about your weapon! You haven't told me or Yang about it yet!" Ruby began in an excited voice.

Yang narrowed her eyes. "Yeah there is a lot you haven't told us yet." She added in, considering she really hasn't had time yet to ask her brother a lot of the questions she has. Especially ones regarding their mother.

"Well I have two blades that connect together to form a katana called Kitsune." Naruto explained simply, causing Tai to nod. He figured Raven would pass her swordsmanship down to their son.

"So Raven taught you how to fight then." Tai observed out loud. "A katana was always her go to weapon."

Naruto nodded. "Yes, but I thought we were not going to talk about her. Though I guess if you wish to know me more that might be challenging. Considering the only person I've had in my life up till now has been my mother."

"I guess you have a point." Tai replied with a small sigh. "Though I find it funny that Raven trained you while I was the one who trained Yang. You and your sister seem to be the gender swapped versions of your parents."

Yang listened to her father speak and slowly tightened her fists.

"It's expected since you raised Yang and mom raised me." Naruto pointed out, while staring his father down. "Though I guess someone is to blame for that outcome."

Yang's eyes slowly turned red, while her blood started to boil. While this happened Ruby glanced over to her sister and could tell she was about to explode on someone.

"Well it wasn't my choice for Raven to leave and take you away." Tai replied, his voice a little more firm and argumentative. "That was all on her."

Naruto gripped his fists at his father's statement and like his sister was about to explode. His mother never gave much explanation why she left, but she told him enough to form a theory. So this theory caused Naruto to not care for the man sitting across him, in fact he was about to go off on his father. However, Yang beat her twin to the punch by being the first to lose her cool.

"Why did she leave!" Yang yelled, while glaring her brother down. "Why would mom leave us and take only you!"

Naruto looked at his twin with a blank expression, while he had an inner debate in his own head. Should he tell her the reason his mother gave him, or should he mention the reason he truly believed Raven left? Though when he looked over his two sisters Naruto decided to allow the girl's to keep their respect and love for their father. He couldn't under good conscious take away the little bit of parent love that they both still have.

"First you must know about the Branwen curse." Naruto began, causing Tai to groan.

"Oh don't tell me Raven filled your head with that bull shit." The elder man mumbled.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, while Yang and Ruby looked up to their father.

"What's the Branwen curse?" Ruby asked in an innocent voice.

"And what does it have to do with why mom left?" Yang added in.

"It has to do with the semblance people from your mother's side of the family have." Tai explained while pointing to Naruto. "Why don't you tell them about it."

Naruto moved his attention to Yang, as she was the one who really needed to hear this. "My semblance like our mothers and many others from our family is different than most. You see Yang, my semblance isn't something that I can control or turn off, it's always with me. My semblance in particular gives me good luck by stealing luck from those around me, leaving them with bad luck. Other members of our family have had different versions of this semblance, some bring disease, misfortune and in our mother's case death."

Yang looked a little surprised by Naruto's words. "Death? What does that mean?" The younger twin asked.

"It's exactly what it means, just like I avoid having bad luck by stealing it from others. Our mother avoids near death situations by bringing death to those around her." Naruto explained in a low voice. "It's a great semblance for fighting an enemy, just not great for friends and family. That's why mom took me away and left, she was afraid our semblances would harm or even kill you."

Yang started to zone out as she started to think over her brother's words. Her mother didn't leave because she didn't love her, she left because she wanted to keep her safe. Yang could actually take solace in the fact that her mother actually cared for her in some way.

"But I don't understand." Ruby began while looking to her older brother. "Your mom took you when you were little. How could she know about your semblance and why didn't she at least try to have some relationship with Yang?"

Yang perked up at Ruby's question and looked to her brother for answers. Though her brother sighed and leaned over the table, while pointing to his blood red eyes.

"Eyes are a very important trait Ruby, you should know you have silver eyes like your mom after all." Naruto began, earning a scowl from his father who hadn't told his daughter about her silver eye heritage. "Though my eyes are just like my mother's, showing that like her and our uncle we all have the Branwen family semblance. As to why mom never tried to be in Yang's life. Well our mother isn't exactly the loving type, she's headstrong and at times emotionally distant."

"But sometimes when Yang uses her semblance her eyes turn red like yours." Ruby pointed out, causing her brother to nod.

"That's her Branwen blood coming through, it doesn't mean she has the Branwen semblance. If her eyes were always red like mine, then it would mean she has a semblance like mine and our mothers." Naruto explained.

"So mom left to protect me?" Yang asked, as she was trying her best to come to grips with all the new information given to her. "She didn't abandon me?"

Naruto let a small smile break through as he placed a hand over onto his twin's shoulder. "No she didn't abandon you she just wanted to keep you safe. But enough about her, I'm here now and I promise to always be by your side."

Yang, Ruby and even Tai smiled at Naruto's declaration.

"Thanks Naruto." Yang mumbled in a low voice, while reaching over to give her brother a hug. "But excuse me for a moment, I have to use the little ladies room.

Yang stood up and started to walk off, but not before Ruby jumped out of her seat and followed her sister.

"Wait for me Yang, I gotta go too!" The small girl informed, leaving the father and son alone for the first time in years.

"And then there were two." Tai began with a small laugh.

Naruto rolled his eyes and looked away from his father, this of course caused the man to narrow his eyes. It was obvious now that his son had some kind of issue with him.

"Do you hate me or something?" Tai asked in a confused voice, as he wanted to get some answers for his son's behavior. "Have I done something to offend you? If I have I'm sorry."

Naruto glanced over to his father and held two fingers up. "Mom never talks about why she really left you and Yang, but she did tell me a few things one drunken night. Wanna know what she told me? Cause I'll tell you, she told me that she didn't leave you and Yang until I was two. So that means for the first two years of my life I lived with you and Yang."

"Yeah you did, but what does that have to do with how cold you've been to me?" Tai replied, but he was surprised when his son's anger filled eyes gave him his full attention.

"I'll tell you why bastard! Me and Yang are seventeen and Ruby is fifteen. So if mom didn't leave till I was two that only means one thing. You cheated on mom and she found out and left you. And she took me with her so she wouldn't have to be alone." Naruto growled in a low voice.

Tai laughed. "You really think that's what happened? You're just as stubborn as your mother." The elder blond began causing Naruto to slam his hands onto the table.

"You think this is funny?" Naruto asked, his crimson red eyes glowing more red than usual. "You hurt my mother and broke our family apart and you think this is funny? If I wasn't trying to be pleasant around you for Yang and Ruby's sake I would kick your ass up and down this restaurant."

Tai brought his hand to his eyes and shook his head. "Man you really do take after Raven, you're just as hot headed as she is." Tai pointed out before looking to his son with a serious gaze. "But let me clear something up, I didn't cheat on your mother. I loved her and I still do, I would never and I mean never do anything to hurt her."

Naruto gripped the edges of the table. "Than explain Ruby."

Tai looked around the room and leaned into the table. "You really wanna know, well let me tell you. Ruby isn't my child by blood, I adopted her."

Naruto loosened up and his eyes grew wide, but he quickly shook himself out of his surprised state. "Wait does Ruby know about this?"

"No." Tai cut in sharply. "And you won't tell her either. It would break her heart knowing the truth and honestly keeping her parentage a secret hurts no one."

Naruto glared at his father. "Fine I'll keep it a secret, but I want an explanation now. And if it's not a good one I will tell Ruby."

Tai looked to the restroom and sighed. "Fine, I'll make this quick before Ruby and Yang get back. Alright you already know me and your mother are the parents of you and Yang."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah that's a given."

"Well when you two were born someone had to stay behind during missions and watch you and Yang. After all me and Raven couldn't be proficient huntsmen with two babies latched onto our hips. So I retired from taking serious missions and became a teacher at Signal while also raising you and Yang. While I did this your mother along with Qrow and Summer continued to undergo missions for Ozpin."

Naruto looked down as he listened to his father. "Mom never told me you were the one who raised me when I was an infant." The blond mumbled in a soft voice.

Tai smirked. "Of course I did, could you see Raven taking care of a small baby? Haha you're welcome for all the poop filled diapers I had to clean and late nights I had to rock you to sleep."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me, it brought me so much joy to take care of my two children. But back to my story, you see time passed and eventually Qrow and Summer grew quite close and then Ruby was born." Tai explained causing Naruto's jaw to drop. "Summer at first took a leave from missions to raise Ruby like I raised you and Yang. This of course left Raven and Qrow alone on missions for awhile. But after Summer adjusted to having a daughter she returned to taking missions. It was something she couldn't leave behind like I did."

Naruto folded his arms. "So I'm guessing that left Ruby in your care."

"Yes there was a time when I watched over all three of you children. And things were great, but eventually tragedy struck and Summer was killed on a mission. Raven blamed herself for Summer's death. She was convinced her semblance got her best friend killed and left her goddaughter motherless. That's the real reason your mother left me and Yang. She was terrified of something happening to me or Yang because of her or your semblance. She ran away with you believing it would keep everyone else safe."

Naruto bit his bottom lip. "She never told me any of this." The blond mumbled in a low voice. "She always gave me some half baked answer for why she left."

"That's Raven for you, but after Summer's death Qrow lost it. He threw himself into his drinking while also chasing after revenge for Summer's killer. He disappeared for three years in his manhunt and left Ruby with me. During that time I became Ruby's father and when Qrow came back he didn't try to take that title from me. He told me he failed Summer twice by failing to protect her and not being there for their child. But after he returned he tried to be there for his daughter as much as he could, but he still to this day works for Ozpin in hopes to find the one responsible for Summer's death. So that's how I became Ruby's father."

"I see, i'm sorry for behavior today. I now see things are much more complicated and you are a great man and father for everything you've done." Naruto began before taking a hard swallow. "Can you forgive me dad?"

Tai maneuvered himself around the table and brought his son into a hug. "There is nothing to forgive my little maelstrom." The father spoke in a loving voice. "But please don't tell Yang and Ruby what you've learned today. It would break their hearts and I don't want that to happen."

"I don't like keeping secrets, but to protect my sisters I will keep this one for now. But I feel one day they deserve to know." Naruto replied in a low voice.

Tai nodded. "You're right, but today is not that day. For now why don't you tell me more about my son?"

Naruto smirked. "Well why don't I tell you about the time I put itching powder in all of mom's clothes."

Tai let a loud laughed loose. "Oh please do!" The elder blond begged, as the father and son duo finally started to bond after so many years apart.

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(A little bit later with Nora)

Nora was currently walking through Beacon's courtyard with a frown on her face. Class had just dismissed a few minutes ago and the orange haired girl has been searching for her partner. Ever since Nora had arrived at Beacon she had been by Naruto's side. So being away from him wasn't something she liked. It made her feel alone, a feeling she has had for too long. It was also a feeling she never wanted to feel again.

"Man where is he?" Nora whined as she looked around. "Any ideas Ren?"

Nora stopped walking and looked to the empty space beside her. Though after a minute she smiled and held a figure up.

"Good point Ren, Ozpin was the one who called for Naruto. So I should check the headmaster's office." Nora spoke to herself in a happy tone, as she now planned to head to Ozpin's office to find the blond.

Though as Nora started to walk she caught a glimpse of the person she was looking for. This caused her to beam with joy while she watched Naruto along with his sisters and father enter Beacon's courtyard.

"Naruto!" Nora shouted happily, before she took off in the direction of the crimson eyed boy.

Naruto's eyes grew wide and he held his hands up to slow Nora down, but he was quickly tackled to the ground by his energetic partner.

"Urghh, hey Nora… how was class?" Naruto groaned in pain, while a bubbly Nora giggled over top of him.

Nora made a small pout. "Boring cause my partner ditched class and left me behind." She answered while poking the blond on the chest. "Don't you go disappearing on me like Ren."

"Don't worry Nora I'm not going anywhere, I had just had some family stuff." The blond replied.

Tai watched the two interact with a small smile, his son and partner reminded Tai of his partnership with Raven. 'The moody Branwen and the overly excited partner. Man they are a lot like me and Raven when we were young.' The father thought with a small snicker. 'Wait does that mean they will hook up…. nah… but Naruto is my son….. shit… well at least she seems nicer than Raven…. though in this situation Naruto is Raven… that poor girl.'

Yang leaned over her twin and his partner and gave them a devilish grin. "Look at you bro, Mr. badass who kills Grimm with his bare hands taken down by his pancake addicted girlfriend." The younger twin teased.

Nora turned bright red and looked away from her partner, the later of whom was glaring at his sister.

"We are not a couple, we are partners." Naruto replied in a slightly agitated tone. "Tell her Nora."

"What Naruto said!" The orange haired girl quickly agreed. "We are partners, not the romantic kind of partners, but partner partners. Not saying Naruto isn't attractive enough, he is very attractive but you know we are just partners." Nora babbled in an embraced voice.

Tai placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder and decided to join in. "Oh are you two sure? You both seem quite comfortable in that situation." The father of three teased.

Naruto looked up to Nora, who was currently straddling his body and blushed. The two shared a quick glance before moving their eyes away from one another.

"Nora could you move please? I have to kill my sister and father now." Naruto explained in a low voice.

"Oh we are just teasing you Bro." Yang began as she watched Nora move off of her brother. "Learn to take a joke."

Naruto stood up and dusted himself off. "Too late sis your fate has been sealed and there is nothing you can do." The older brother explained before giving his sister a wild grin. "The pranks are coming."

Nora's eyes lit up at the word prank. "Oh I want in!"

Tai laughed as he remember the stories his son shared about pranking Raven. Anyone with the balls to prank that woman and live was a force to be reckoned with. So the father actually felt sorry for his eldest daughter.

"Well why don't you hold off on your pranks and introduce me to your friend." Tai began while giving Nora a friendly smile.

Naruto nodded and motioned to his father. "Nora this is my dad Tai, dad this is my partner Nora." The blond introduced causing the two to shake hands.

"It's nice to meet you Nora." Tai spoke in a sincere voice.

"Likewise." Nora replied with a large grin, before she glanced to Naruto. "Well now I've met your father and sisters, guess now your mother is next on the list!"

Naruto and Tai both turned pale at Nora's words.

"Nora never and I mean never will I let that woman even remotely close to you." Naruto grumbled in a low voice.

"That's a smart move." Tai added in. "Raven would probably drive your girlfriend running. You know how over protective moms can be."

Tai ducked under a punch from his son, the latter of whom had a large tick mark on his head.

"You old sack of shit!" Naruto growled as he watched his father run off. "Get back here!"

Yang and Ruby both sighed while Nora was bright red from Tai's girlfriend remark.

"Yang." Ruby began in a low voice, while she watched Naruto try to kill their father. "We aren't like most families."

Yang nodded as she watched her brother tackle their father to the ground. "No Ruby, no we are not."

"But at least we love each other!" She youngest sibling pointing out.

Yang placed her arm around her sister and smiled. "Yeah we do." She mumbled before looking to Nora. "Hey Nora wanna help me calm your boyfriend down before he kills my dad?"

"Sure!... wait he isn't my boyfriend… well he is my friend and he is a boy…"

Yang sighed and placed her other arm around Nora. "Don't over think it Nora." The blond female replied with a small laugh. "Just help me calm Naruto down."

Nora nodded and followed the two sisters over to the father and son duo. They were an odd family to say the least and it looks like poor Nora had been pulled into their shenanigans. Though her chaotic nature fit right into their family chemistry, which helped for what the future held for her and Naruto both.

Chapter End.

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And that's chapter three done and I should take this time to say a few things. One thanks for all the support you guys have been giving this story, it's unreal. Second the reason I went with the whole Qrow being Ruby's dad thing.

I wanted to give a good reason for why Raven left, while also making her character sympathetic instead of a heartless bitch.

I felt saying "I left to protect you from my semblance." Wasn't a solid reason, as I felt she should at least have tried to be a mother. So i needed something more to her reasoning.

So having Raven's semblance kill her best friend (in this story, remember it's a fanfic so it's a lot different than the source material) would make her actually fearful of her semblance and leave when her children were two. So she tried to be a mother but summer's death made her run away and take Naruto with her.

So to have this whole Raven blaming herself for Summer's death Raven would have to be around when Ruby was born. So I didn't want to make Tai this jerk who cheated on Raven. So that meant Qrow had to be the father.

So that's why Qrow is the father so I could make a good and believable reason for why Raven left. Some may not like what I've decided to do, but hey it's my story. You don't have to read it :P

Also I should mention one thing, this story will mainly follow Naruto and Nora. So everything that happens with team RWBY, like the character development of Weiss and Blake really won't be touched on. That stuff will happen just like it does in volume 1 and so on, unless I actually write in a change that shifts everything around.

Finally a SHIT ton of people keep asking me about Ren, many have figured it out. But for those of you who are confused he is gone. But the Ren story line and Nora's past will be the big climax of where Volume 1 ended in RWBY. After all like I said this story will focus on Naruto and Nora. So all the big team RWBY moments will be supplemented with team JNNP moments and storylines.

So until next time thanks for reading and have a good day.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. The Weak Link

It has been a few weeks since Naruto had met his father Tai and learned the truth about his family. Since then Naruto had continued through school as normal and has kept his relationship with Yang and Ruby the same. He did hate keeping the truth hidden from the girl's about Ruby's true parentage and the true reason behind Raven leaving. However, Naruto was mature enough to understand that some secrets need to be kept, especially considering all he knows involving the relics, maidens and Salem.

So that's why Naruto kept what he knew to himself, it wasn't his place to reveal those secrets anyway. The truth needed to come from each girl's respective father, when they finally decide to do so of course. Besides Naruto had enough to worry with his school work. He absolutely hated all the lectures and assignments. Though there was one class her favored above the rest and that was combat training.

This was a course where the class would come together and spar tournament style. Unfortunately not everyone would fight, as only the ones selected by Ozpin would spar. Naruto figured Ozpin never selected him for a match because he would manhandle any student he went against, which for someone who loved to fight like Naruto was very annoying, but Naruto still got enjoyment from watching his fellow classmates spar.

However, as Naruto stood by his partner Nora and teammate Pyrrha. Both of whom were watching two students engaging in a spar with him, enjoyment was the last thing Naruto was experiencing. Actually as Naruto stood with his arms crossed, he watched his leader Jaune fight with a scowl on his face.

"Does Jaune have any form?" Naruto asked while he watched Jaune get beat around by one Cardin Winchester. "I mean he telegraphs every move he is going to make. He's lucky this is only a spar, in a really fight he could get himself killed."

Pyrrha frowned at Naruto's criticism, she like the blond fought at a very high level. She wasn't as good as Naruto, but she was still better than most. So she could easily make the same observations that Naruto was making. However, she felt sympathy for Jaune, it was obvious he had no training or skill, but he was still a great individual. So Pyrrha hated to see him struggle so hard in his fighting ability.

"I'm sure Jaune will improve, he just needs help." Pyrrha tried to convince her team.

Nora leaned into Naruto. "Maybe we should help him. You're pretty strong Naruto, maybe you could help Jaune." She purposed before giving the blond a wide smile. "I know you said your mother trained you, while don't you give Jaune the same treatment?"

Naruto zoned out, his eyes growing wide as his mother's devious smirk and condescending laughter ringed throughout his mind. "First rule of training with mommy, don't talk about training with mommy!" Naruto recited his mother's words out loud.

Nora tilted her head and laughed. "Okay then." She mumbled before looking over to Pyrrha. "Well Pyrrha why don't you help Jaune, I mean you're a champion fighter."

Pyrrha placed her hand to her chin, thinking that she could actually help Jaune improve. "I could offer to help him, though my fighting style may not blend well with Jaune." The redhead admitted, before glancing to Naruto. "Are you sure you can't help him without killing him Naruto?"

Naruto kept his gaze focused to the wall, as he was still zoning out. "Second rule of training with mommy, always go for the kill!" Naruto shouted, causing Nora to pout.

"Thanks Pyrrha you broke my partner." Nora grumbled while smacking her hand against the back of Naruto's head. "Snap out of it."

Pyrrha had a small sweat drop roll down her forehead as she watched the two. "Um sorry about that."

"Fourth rule of training with mommy, never say sorry!" Naruto stammered before Nora brought him into a headlock.

"Hey mister I said stop." Nora grumbled as she held the boy down with her surprising strength.

Pyrrha laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. "You two are an interesting duo." The red haired warrior chuckled, but the sound of someone hitting the ground hard got her attention. So looking back to the fighting area, Pyrrha noticed Jaune was knocked onto his backside. While the aura display above showed the boy was currently in the red, which meant he was defeated.

Glynda who was overseeing the match stepped forward and signaled the fight was finished. "This spar is over and the winner is Cardin Winchester." Glynda then glanced down to Jaune and released a small huff. "Mr. Arc, have you learned nothing yet from your time at Beacon? You need to pay closer attention to your aura levels by using your scroll. If this was an actual battle and not a spar your forgetfulness could get yourself killed."

Jaune looked down and gritted his teeth, he was humiliated in front of his entire class. He tried his absolute best during his fight with Cardin, but he just wasn't good enough. The blond leader moved his gaze to his teammates and tightened his fists. Naruto and Nora were both busy dealing with each other as usual, while his partner looked to him with a sad look.

'I'm so pathetic.' Jaune thought to himself. 'Any three of my teammates could wipe the floor with Cardin no sweat. Hell Pyrrha could probably take Cardin's whole team on and Naruto could take on the whole school. So why am I the leader of a team where I'm clearly the weakest link?'

Picking himself up and walking to his team, Jaune tried to think of the answer to his question. Though the young team leader could not think of one.

"Jaune you fought admirably today." Pyrrha complimented, as she saw her partner needed his spirits lifted. So she placed her hands on his shoulder and gave him a genuine smile. "I'm proud of you."

Jaune felt slightly better from the compliment, but he suddenly released a grunt when Carden walked from behind and shoulder checked Jaune's back. Causing the weaker male to stumble forward and almost fall over, but Pyrrha quickly moved her hands outward and caught him.

"Oh my bad Jauny-boy, I didn't see you there." Cardin lied, while he looked to the boy with condescending smirk. "Way to take a beating today by the way. Guess you don't suck at everything!"

Cardin then released a loud laugh and walked off, while his three snickering teammates followed closely behind. Though as he passed Naruto and Nora, who were too busy with each other to notice his presence. The normally high and mighty bully turned his head to the opposite direction of Naruto and kept walking.

Pyrrha watched Cardin leave and released a small sigh. "You shouldn't listen to him Jaune."

Jaune tightened his fists and looked down, his blond locks overshadowing his eyes. "Why not, it's not like he's wrong. I do suck."

Pyrrha's face shifted into a small frown. "Jaune." The girl began in a saddened voice, but her attention was grabbed by her teammates. Well more precisely Nora, who jumped into the conversation and wrapped her arms around Jaune and Pyrrha.

"It's dinner time!" Nora shouted in a gleeful voice. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

"Nora." Naruto began while pinching his nose and grabbing the back of his partner's shirt with his free hand. "Calm down, we will get dinner together. Isn't that right team leader?"

Naruto looked over to Jaune with a small smile, but the words leader stung and made Jaune wince. As the young Arc truly didn't believe he was worthy of the title of team leader.

Nora looked to Jaune with a small frown. "Hey Jaune you gonna speak up?" The orange haired girl asked, making Jaune shake his head.

"Uh yeah, sorry guess I zoned out." Jaune replied, while trying to speak in his normal happy go lucky voice. Even though he was far from happy. "But let's head to the cafeteria."

Naruto and Nora both nodded and started to walk off, while Jaune followed close behind. Pyrrha on the other hand stood still and watched Jaune walk, she knew he was troubled and she wanted to help him anyway she could. The only question was how?

"Pyrrha you coming?" Nora called out.

Deciding she will figure that out when she gets there, Pyrrha waved her friend's down and chased after them. "Yes I am coming."

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(5 minutes later In the cafeteria)

Team JNNP accompanied by Team RWBY were currently gathered at a large table. All the teens present had their eyes glued to Naruto, as he was retelling an old story from his childhood.

"So there I was all alone, while twenty Beowulfs' were slowly surrounding me." Naruto began, as he took a pause to build the suspense. "My right arm was still broken from an earlier fight with a nest of death stalkers'. So things were looking bad to say the least."

Ruby's eyes grew wide as she was absorbed into the blond's story. "What did you do?" The youngest teen asked.

Naruto smirked and leaned over the table. "I took Kitsune into my left hand and stood my ground. Thinking to myself that I may have fought my last battle, but before the Grimm swarmed me. I was saved by my mother and together we defeated the Beowulfs' and celebrated with a few shots of dust vodka afterwards. And that's the story of how I celebrated my seventh birthday and got my first drink."

Everyone besides Nora looked at the blond with sweat drops, while Nora seemed amused by the tale of underaged drinking.

"That's an amazing story Naruto, it reminds me of this time me and Ren fought off Beowulfs ourselves. Or were they Ursa? I always forget, I'll have to find Ren and get my story straightened out." Nora explained before her eyes scanned the cafeteria, almost like she was looking for someone.

Naruto smiled and ignored Nora's strange behavior, he was accustomed to it now. "Thanks Nora and I'd love to hear your story sometime." He admitted before glancing to his twin. "What about you sis, got any good stories for me?"

Yang snorted and shook her head. "None as great as yours, dad was a little more stable than mom. So I don't have any Grimm killing stories that end with celebratory shots."

Blake looked to Naruto with a blank expression. "No offense but your mom doesn't sound like a good parent." The black haired Faunus pointed out, causing Naruto to laugh.

"None taken." The blond replied, in a casual tone. "She had her moments, but I grew up with a drill sergeant not a mother. She groomed me to be the best fighter I could be, so I don't have many memories that don't involve training or fighting."

Weiss actually looked to Naruto with some sympathy, if anyone knew about being raised by a cold hearted parent it was her. Though she wouldn't ever let the red eyed boy know about her sympathy. Though before she could say anything, a voice in distress caught her and her friend's attention.

"Stop it." A small bunny eared Faunus begged, while one Cardin Winchester tugged on her ears. All the while the bullies teammates watched the scene with loud laughter.

"What a freak, I told you it was real!" Cardin shouted.

Blake tightened her fists and almost released a small hiss under her breath. As the mistreatment of Faunus was something she hated more than anything.

"That jerk." Blake insulted in a low voice.

Weiss huffed and glared at Cardin. "Someone should teach that jerk some manners."

Yang nodded. "Yeah treating poor Velvet like that isn't cool." She began before looking to her twin. "Why don't you go kick his ass bro."

"Yeah go break his legs!" Nora added in, while placing both her fists up.

"Nah not my fight." Naruto replied in an offhand voice. "Mom taught me everyone fights their own battles. Only when your tribe, in this case my team or family is in trouble is when I step in. Like I said before, mom taught me the weak die and the strong live."

Ruby titled her head and looked to Jaune. "Hey doesn't Cardin bully you though?"

Naruto raised his eyebrow, he never paid much attention to Jaune. Since he always had most his attention given to Nora. So Naruto didn't know if the boy was getting bullied by Cardin or not. Though Jaune was his leader, teammate and most importantly friend. So if he was getting bullied then Naruto would put a stop to it.

"Jaune." Naruto began in a serious voice, while his crimson eyes were giving off fiery glow. "Is what Ruby says true? Is Cardin bullying you as well?"

Jaune released an awkward laugh. "What Cardin? Bully me? Nah he's just always messing around, it's nothing serious." The boy lied.

"But didn't he push you down the stairs the other day?" Blake asked.

"And I saw him push you into your locker a few days ago." Ruby admitted.

"I saw that too, plus he's always throwing spitballs at you during class." Yang added in.

Naruto frowned at what he was hearing, while Jaune looked down. It was obvious to Naruto now that Cardin has been mistreating his team leader.

"It's nothing to worry about." Jaune mumbled in a low defeated voice.

Pyrrha looked to her partner with a sad expression. "Jaune if you want we can deal with Cardin for you. I'll even break his legs."

"Now we are talking!" Nora chimed in.

"No." Jaune quickly snapped. "It will only make things worse. Besides I can deal with Cardin myself."

Naruto sighed and stood to his feet, he knew Jaune wasn't going to stand up for himself. So someone had to stand up to Cardin. "I'll be back." Naruto informed the table of friends.

Jaune reached out for his teammate. "What are you doing?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder as gave Jaune a deathly serious stare. "Protecting my tribe." The boy informed in a matter of fact tone, causing Nora to perk up.

"Yeah! Make sure to break his legs!" The orange haired girl shouted.

Naruto smirked and slowly walked over to Cardin, the latter of whom was still messing with Velvet.

"Hey dick head." Naruto called out. "Let the girl go, me and you need to have a chat."

Cardin looked over to Naruto and narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?" The bully asked, while he released Velvet and pressed his chest against Naruto.

"Me and you are going to have a chat." Naruto replied, while keeping an emotionless mask. "What are you deaf and stupid?"

Cardin growled and pushed Naruto, which made the blond move back a few inches. "Wanna take those words back bitch?"

Naruto's right hand slightly tensed up into a fist. "I've been informed you've been bullying my teammate, that stops today." The blond Branwen informed, causing Cardin to snort.

"And what are you going to do? You act tough, but you're not all that." Cardin insulted.

"You wanna know what I will do?" Naruto asked in a low voice, his eyes burning a bright red. "Let me show you a small sample."

"You wanna fight bring it!" Cardin yelled, while he reared back for a punch.

Though Cardin's eyes grew wide when Naruto moved at blinding speeds and his hand firmly grasped around his face. Then in one swift movement, Naruto lifted the bully into the air and slammed the boy through one of the lunch tables.

"Stay away from my friends." Naruto warned, while he stood over top of Cardin. The latter of whom was seeing stars from being sent through a table. "Or next time I won't be gentle with you."

Cardin's teammates were all trembling while they caught the glare Naruto sent their way. This caused them all to run off, leaving their leader behind and unconscious.

Turning his back, Naruto slowly walked back over to his friends and took his seat. Which caused Nora to instantly wrap herself around the boy.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Nora shouted in a gleeful voice. "You gave that jerk what he deserved!"

Yang nodded and gave her twin an approving smile. "Yeah bro way to put that jerk in his place."

Blake nodded. "What Yang said."

Naruto who was being strangled by Nora glanced to Jaune. "Well he shouldn't be bothering you anymore Jaune. And if he does just tell me, I'll take him down another peg or two"

Jaune looked down, he didn't want to have other people fight his battles for him. He wanted to become a great warrior and hero, not the damsel in distress.

"Thanks." Jaune mumbled, while he stood up and turned away. "I'm gonna go head back to our room and get started on some homework."

Pyrrha frowned as she watched her partner leave the table, she unlike everyone else saw his defeated look. "Jaune let me join you." She began as she left and followed after the boy.

Nora titled her head and looked to Naruto. "What's gotten into them?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, as he wasn't trying to read into the situation to much. From his perspective the issue was resolved. "Who knows, maybe they are worried about all the homework we have."

Nora's mouth opened up. "What! We have homework?" She yelled in a shocked voice.

Yang laughed and looked at her twin's rather strange partner. "Nora we all have homework, don't tell me you forget." The blond explained with a light chuckle.

Nora rubbed the back of her head and laughed awkwardly. "Heh, guess I forgot!" She replied before making a small pout and looking around. "But Ren's always suppose to remind me of these things. Me and him are gonna have a serious talk about this!"

Weiss lifted her eyebrow. "You always take about this Ren, just who is he?" The white haired girl asked.

Nora smiled wide. "My friend silly."

Team RWBY looked confused at the girl's rather vague answer. As it really didn't answer anything.

Naruto sighed and placed his hand around Nora's shoulder. "Hey Nora why don't we go get started on our homework?" The young Branwen purposed while standing up and holding a hand out to his partner.

"Alright!" Nora chirped, while standing to her feet and pumping a fist into the air.

Yang watched her twin walk off with his partner and waved them off. "See you two love birds later!" The teasing sister yelled.

Neither Nora or Naruto turned to face Yang as they walked away. Though Nora did have steam rolling out of her ears and Naruto did flip his sister the bird, but that only caused the blond female to laugh.

"Yang maybe you shouldn't tease Naruto so much. He did say he was going to get you back for last time." Ruby pointed out. "Our brother isn't someone you should mess with."

Blake nodded with a small smirk. "I agree with Ruby. After all, we saw what your brother did to Cardin, so I wouldn't mess with Naruto."

Yang snorted and waved the two off. "I'll take my chances." The girl replied, before she noticed the odd look Weiss had. "Hey what's with you Ice Queen?"

Ignoring her nickname, Weiss placed a finger to her chin. "Just thinking about your brother's partner Nora. She is always talking about that Ren, who none of us have met before. Do any of you know anything about this Ren character?"

The rest of Team RWBY shook their heads, since like Weiss they had not come across a Ren in their time at Beacon.

"Well we could always ask Naruto what he knows, I'm sure he has some information." Ruby pointed out.

"Maybe, but your brother also acts weird when Nora mentions Ren." Blake began, causing Weiss to nod and the sisters to look confused. "I mean he always changes the subject and redirects Nora's attention away from this Ren guy. Which makes me wonder as to why he does that?"

"Exactly!" Weiss shouted in agreement. "They are both clearly hiding something!"

"Well what should we do?" Yang asked, as she was interested to find out if her twin was hiding something.

"Well we could just ask them?" Ruby purposed in an innocent voice.

Yang, Blake and Weiss all looked to Ruby with a blank stare. This caused Ruby to laugh awkwardly at the strange looks she was receiving.

"Rubes you got a lot to learn." Yang sighed in a low voice. "There is only one way to figure out what is going on, we spy on Naruto and Nora."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Ruby mumbled in a low voice.

"I agree with Yang" Weiss declared.

"Same." Blake chimed in.

"Then it's decided!" Yang yelled cheerfully while tossing her arms into the air. "We will spy on my brother and Nora."

Blake and Weiss both nodded in agreement while Ruby groaned and smacked her head onto the lunch table.

"This won't go well." The youngest of the girl's mumbled into the wooden table.

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(Team JNNP's Dorm)

Naruto and Nora both walked into their dorm, planning to meet up with their teammates Jaune and Pyrrha. However, the two were not expecting their dorm to be completely empty. This of course caused Nora to make a small pout and place her arms on her hips.

"Hey where are those two?" She asked, while glancing up to Naruto.

Taking a few steps inside the dorm, Naruto glanced out their window and noticed the sun was slowly setting. He then looked around their dorm and noticed it was in the same condition as they left it this morning. Which made Naruto conclude Jaune and Pyrrha haven't returned yet.

"Well they obviously are not here." Naruto began before stretching his arms out. "I'm sure they will be back soon, but we should get started on this stupid homework."

Nora nodded and walked towards their bathroom. "Sounds good, but I got to use the little ladies room." She explained before pointing to her bed. "Go ahead and grab my book, I think it's under my bed."

Naruto watched Nora enter the bathroom and close the door behind her. He then rolled his eyes and walked to the bed beside his own. "Why am I not surprise this is where you keep your books?" The blond mumbled before bending down and moving his arm underneath Nora's bed.

Feeling around underneath the bed Naruto tried to feel for something that felt like a book. Though he quickly found out that Nora liked to horde objects under her bed. So the blond Branwen began to pull various objects out and observe them. "Well here is some weapon polish, extra ammunition, a hair brush, a pair of headphones…. a half eaten pancake?"

Naruto sighed and tossed the pancake over into the trash and continued his search. "Let's see we have a suitcase, some empty syrup bottles, some….." Naruto turned red and quickly placed the object he grabbed back under the bed. "Panties." The blond spoke in a low and embarrassed voice.

Feeling around some more Naruto felt something that seemed to be in a rectangular shape. So he pulled it out, but was quickly hit with a wave of confusion. It wasn't Nora's books, but instead was a medium sized green box with a pink lotus flower right on top of the box. Once Naruto lifted the box into his hands he noted it was actually quite heavy.

"What is this?" Naruto mumbled to himself, while he contemplated on opening the box himself to get his answer. However, as he heard a flushing noise, Naruto quickly grabbed everything he had retrieved including the box and shoved it back under the bed.

"Well are you ready to get some work done?" Nora asked, as she kicked the bathroom door open.

Naruto chuckled as he leaned over Nora's bed and tried to act like he didn't find items that he probably shouldn't have found. "Sorry I couldn't find your books, we could always just use mine."

Nora smiled wide. "Sounds like a plan!" The orange haired girl agreed, before she started to skip over to her partner. Though something in their trash can caught her eye. "Awwww you tossed out my midnight snack, I was saving that for later."

Naruto released a soft chuckle and shook his head. 'She's a goofball, but that's what I love about her.' Naruto thought to himself, but his own thoughts clicked in his mind. 'Wait love? Where did that come from? Grrrrr Yang.'

Nora titled her head and she noticed her partners odd look. "Hey Naruto what's the matter?"

Looking to Nora, Naruto waved the girl off. "Oh nothing just thinking about my annoying twin." The blond replied, while he walked over to where he kept his books. "But let's get started on our homework."

"Okay!" Nora agreed, while she jumped onto her bed and took a seat.

Naruto reached out for his books, but as he felt his scroll vibrate he pulled out the device. His mood instantly shifting to a less joyful one once he saw the message on the screen.

'Meet me at this location.' The message read, before a follow up message with coordinates appeared on his scroll.

"What could she want." Naruto mumbled in a low silent voice, while he looked over the two messages sent from his mother. Though his attention was quickly brought to Nora. "Sorry Nora I have to be somewhere, you will have to get started without me."

Nora released a loud whine and crossed her arms. "Awww you're ditching me again?"

Naruto walked over to the door and flashed the girl a smile. "I'll be back, I have to deal with something first. I promise to make it up to you."

Nora pointed at her partner and grinned wide. "I want pancakes tonight!"

Naruto laughed and opened the door. "Alright I'll make you some later." The blond replied, before he left the room.

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(With Jaune and Pyrrha)

Standing side by side on the roof of their dorm, Jaune and Pyrrha both overlooked their school together. Though Jaune was a little confused as to why Pyrrha dragged him up here. She did so with little explanation, only saying she was going to make him feel better.

"Ummm Pyrrha." Jaune began while looking over the edge. "I know I've been depressed lately, but I'm not that depressed."

Pyrrha looked to Jaune and then the edge and quickly flailed her arms around before grabbing Jaune and pulled him backwards. "Ahhh~! No that's not why I brought you up here." She clarified before giving Jaune a soft gaze. "See I've noticed you've been having a difficult time in class. And you're not the strongest of fighters… so I wanna help you."

"What?" Jaune asked, as he was still confused.

"We can train up here in private where no one can bother us." She explained.

Jaune rubbed his head and looked down. "You think I need help?"

"No, that's not what I'm getting at." Pyrrha replied, as she tried to backtrack a little.

"But you just said it." Jaune pointed out.

Pyrrha held a hand out to her partner. "Jaune everyone needs a little help. It's nothing to be ashamed about. How do you think me and Naruto got so strong? We both had people to help us." Pyrrha began before she swayed side to side. "Besides you made into Beacon, that speaks volumes of how capable you truly are."

Jaune turned around, as he couldn't look the girl head on. "You're wrong, I don't belong here."

"Jaune that's absurd, of course you belong here."

Jaune turned around and gave Pyrrha a frustrated look. "No I don't." The blond boy snapped, while he shook his hand around. "I really wasn't accepted into Beacon. I never went to combat school. I didn't pass some test to earn my spot here either."

Pyrrha looked both shocked and confused. "But how did you come here then?"

Jaune sighed in a defeated tone, as his spirit was broken. "I lied. I came across some transcripts and faked my way into Beacon by lying."

"But why would you do that?" Pyrrha quickly asked.

"Because I wanted to be like my father and grandfather, a fierce warrior and hero. Though I was never good enough, so I lied to get into Beacon."

Pyrrha placed her hand onto Jaune. "Then let me help you."

Jaune jerked away. "I don't want help, I don't want to be the damsel in distress. I want to be the hero! I can't have you and Naruto fighting all my battles and cleaning up my messes!" Jaune tightened his fists and closed his eyes. "I'm tired of being the lovable idiot who gets stuck in trees while everyone else fights his battles."

Pyrrha reached out to comfort Jaune, but he quickly backed away from her.

"Just leave me alone." Jaune mumbled.

Pyrrha looked down and slowly turned around. "If that's what you wish." The red haired beauty replied, while she walked off.

Jaune watched Pyrrha walk off and sighed, he instantly regretted snapping at his partner. Jaune knew she had good intentions, but he couldn't let Pyrrha train him. He needed to improve on his own, as he needed to prove to himself that he actually belonged at Beacon by doing this by himself.

"My, my, my Jauny-boy I never took you as the rebellious type." The voice of Cardin began, while the bully climbed up onto the roof. "I mean faking your way into the academy, who would have believed you had it in you."

Jumping in surprise, Jaune turned around to meet the arrogant grin of his tormentor Cardin.

"Cardin, please don't tell anyone." Jaune begged desperately, while the bully merely smirked.

"Jaune would I do that to a friend?" Cardin asked, while he walked over and brought the boy into a headlock. Using enough force to slightly strangle Jaune.

"F-friends?" Jaune gasped out in a weak voice.

Cardin smirked. "Of course we are friends and as long as you're there for me. We will be friends for a long time Jauny-boy." The orange haired boy explained with a slight smirk. "Speaking of which I don't have time to finish my homework, so can you do that for me? Of course you will Jauny-boy, or else I might tell the headmaster about our little secret."

Jaune looked down, he was in a pickle and there was nothing he could do. "Okay Cardin."

Cardin grinned he couldn't get one back on Naruto, but he can still make Jaune pay for the humiliation the Branwen placed him through. "Good boy Jaune and I'll warn you, tell that little bitch Naruto about our deal and I'll go to the headmaster."

"I… I understand." Jaune replied in a completely defeated voice.

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(With Naruto)

Coming out of a red portal fully dressed in his casual attire, Naruto noticed he was in a secluded forest, but he wasn't alone. As his mother was perched on top of a rock and was gazing at him with a blank stare.

"Well I'm here." Naruto began, as the portal behind him closed.

Raven smirked. "That was faster than usual, you've gotten better at creating portals. I'm glad to see you've been practicing our family techniques."

Naruto crossed his arms. "What did you want mom. Last time we talked you basically told me to not come back to you." The blond haired child pointed out.

"I missed you too brat." Raven replied sarcastically before she jumped off of the rock she was on. "Besides you should know I wasn't serious, I've even been checking up on you from time to time."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah I figured you were the one who killed that Nevermore during my second day at Beacon."

Raven nodded. "It wasn't my plan, but the stupid Grimm spotted me and attacked. So I was forced to kill it, had to make sure my children didn't get killed after all."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and growled. "Bold words from the woman who won't even take the time to meet her daughter." The younger Branwen began, making his mother huff.

"You know why I won't meet Yang-..."

"Dad told me the truth involving Summer's death and why you left." Naruto cut in a serious voice.

Raven looked down. "So you know the truth, what about Yang and Ruby?"

"No they don't know, but you could at least meet your daughter." Naruto replied. "If wouldn't kill you or her."

Raven huffed and looked away. "I didn't come here to argue with my child. I came to warn you." The stubborn woman explained.

"Warn me of what?" Naruto asked.

"Leave Beacon." Raven began, as her crimson eyes glanced over her son. "My scouts say Salem's forces are advancing. They are also gaining allies within the White Fang and the criminal underground. I'm telling you right now, Beacon is going to fall."

Naruto's mouth dropped open. "Is this true? We have to warn Ozpin! We have to prepare ourselves!"

Raven shook her head. "It's a fool's quest, Beacon has no chance. Salem's forces are too great. And trust me in a few months Beacon will be no more."

Naruto gave his mother a fierce glare. "I could care less about that old bitch! My friends and family are at Beacon and I will protect them." The blond declared, as he would be damned if he would let something happen to his sisters or Nora. "If Salem is bringing the fight to Beacon, then I'll start working for Ozpin like you use to and bring the fight to her."

"You little idiot, you will get yourself killed!" Raven shouted in anger, as she dreaded the thought of losing her precious son like she lost Summer.

"I'd rather die protecting those I love than abandon them." Naruto declared with conviction behind his words.

Raven groaned in anger and pulled out her katana, then by swinging the sword downward. She opened a portal to her side.

"Fine I won't stop you from getting yourself killed, but I want stay by and watch my child die." Raven growled, while she walked over to the portal.

Naruto walked behind his mother and gave her a strong hug from behind. "I love you mom and I know if we work together we can stop Salem. So why don't we both go to Oz and figure something out?"

"I love you too Naruto." Raven mumbled in a low voice. "But I can't." She add in, while walking into the portal she created.

Naruto watched his mother disappear and sighed. "Why can't my life be simple?" The blond asked himself, while he created a small portal of his own. "Guess I have some news for Ozpin…. plus I owe Nora some pancakes…. tonight is going to be a long time night."

Chapter End

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Well here is Chapter 4 and I've started working into Jaune's little character arc. While also setting up Naruto to begin to work for Ozpin. Also some of you will be excited to know that next chapter will be very Nora centric and you will learn about her past and yes the question that everyone has of what happened to Ren.

So like always thanks for the support and tell me what you think of the story so far!

Also bonus points for any theories anyone has about the box under Nora's bed and what role it will play in the future!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5. The Unlucky Valkyrie

Naruto was sitting on his bed with his legs crossed, his thoughts were brought to the conversation he had with Ozpin two weeks ago.

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(Two weeks ago)

Ozpin, who was seated alone in his office had his attention placed onto his scroll. He was starting preparations for the Vytal Festival which was growing closer as time went by. Though as he placed his scroll down and took a sip of coffee, he debated on calling it a night. Unfortunately that wouldn't happen, as an all too familiar red portal formed in the center of his office.

"Raven?" The silver haired man called out.

"Try again Oz." Naruto replied, as the blond haired Branwen walked out of the portal.

Ozpin narrowed his eyes, it wasn't common for Naruto to come to him. Especially not in this particular fashion and time of night.

"It's good to see you Naruto, is there something I can help you with?" Ozpin asked, while he motioned for Naruto to take a seat.

Naruto sighed and took a seat across from Ozpin, he then crossed his arms and shook his head. "I just had a talk with my mother and things are bad Oz."

Ozpin folded his hands together and leaned over his desk. "Care to enlighten me?" The man asked.

"It's Salem." Naruto began, causing Ozpin to grip his hands tightly together. "Mom came to me and said her forces are gathering and moving towards Beacon. She also mentioned the White Fang and criminal underground having involvement with her. Mom warned me to leave because she believes Beacon is going to fall."

Ozpin temporarily removed his glasses and massaged his eyes, this wasn't the news he wanted to hear. However, at least this warning has given him time to prepare.

"What other intel do you have?" Ozpin asked as he put his glasses back on. "Do you know how much time we have to prepare?"

Naruto frowned and shook his head. "No mom just came to me so I would leave. I refused and said I was going to stay here and protect my friends and family. So she left without saying anything else." The blond explained in a saddened voice. "But if I was Salem I would attack during the Vytal Festival."

Ozpin raised his eyebrow. "That would be foolish, our security would be at its highest and there would be huntsman and huntresses from all the other kingdoms present. An attack on the Festival wouldn't make sense."

"Or would it?" Naruto argued. "For starters our guard would be down from the distractions of the Vytal Festival. And if an attack is successful she could not only take Beacon, but would also weaken the other kingdoms for future attacks."

Ozpin rubbed his chin and thought over what Naruto had said. Thinking that the blond made some good points.

"Okay say Salem will launch an assault during the Vytal Festival. That gives us a couple months to prepare for whatever plan she has cooked up. It also purposes the question of should the Vytal Festival be canceled. We could surely cut down on casualties if her plan is to attack during the Festival." Ozpin began, while looking to Naruto for his input.

"The Festival must go on, we know regardless Salem will attack. So having the support of the other kingdoms could save Beacon from being annihilated." Naruto pointed out.

Ozpin nodded. "That's true, but I should at least warn the other headmasters of the danger. And for the time being should place a larger focus on combat training for the students. Salem will bring a war to our doorstep and we need everyone prepared."

"No arguments there, but I have one last thing to say Oz." Naruto began, his crimson eyes looking at the older huntsman with nothing besides sheer determination. "I've decided to pick up where my mom left off and work for you. Like my uncle I will become your agent in the field whenever you need me. I'll show Salem if she wants to threaten the safety of those I love I will take the fight to her."

Ozpin smiled at the blond's words, as he remembered a young Raven saying those exact words in the past.

"Under normal circumstances I would deny your offer, but you're not a normal teenager. You're already stronger than most well seasoned huntsman I know. In fact I bet you could give your Uncle a run for his money." Ozpin declared with a small chuckle. "So I wouldn't feel as bad sending you out into the field. So I will call for you when I need you, just don't tell your parents. They would have my head."

Naruto grinned. "I didn't plan on working for you against Salem at first, but for those I love there isn't anything I won't do."

Ozpin smiled, there wasn't much his school could teach someone as skilled as Naruto. Though one thing Beacon has done is give him relationships he would fight for. While also giving him friends who would stand by his side regardless of the danger.

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(Present day)

'It's been two weeks and Ozpin still hasn't Needed me.' Naruto thought to himself, while he cleaned his weapon Kitsune with a small cloth. 'I guess that's good in the regard that Salem hasn't been making any moves. Though that also means she is busy preparing for something big."

Naruto moved his gaze off of his weapon and looked over to Nora. The orange haired girl was lounging on her bed with a pair of headphones over her head. He then glanced over to Pyrrha, who like him was busy cleaning her own weapons. Finally Naruto looked to the empty bed of his leader and sighed. Over the past two weeks Jaune had been rather scarce around their dorm, as he was spending most his time with Cardin of all people.

The young blond didn't know why Jaune was spending so much time with a jerk like Cardin. Naruto even confronted Jaune about his new found friendship, but his leader played off Naruto and acted like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

"Hey Naruto." Nora called out to her partner while she removed her headphones. "Are you as bored as I am?"

Moving his attention to Nora and his thoughts away from Jaune, Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, wanna go cause some mischief?" The blond asked.

Nora grinned wide and took a leap off her bed. "You know it!" The hyper active girl cheered before looking to Pyrrha. "Wanna join us Pyrrha?"

Releasing a soft laugh the redhead nodded. "I would love too." Pyrrha admitted, as she enjoyed spending time with her friends.

Nora grinned wide and ran to the door. "Well all we are missing is Jaune then!" She pointed out. "We should hunt that goofball down!"

Naruto walked over to Nora and sighed. "Good luck with that Nora, he's been rather scarce since he started spending time with Cardin." The blond began before he opened the door to their dorm. "I don't know what Jaune is thinking."

Pyrrha frowned and walked past Naruto and Nora. "I'm sure our leader knows exactly what he is doing." The girl spoke in a slightly frustrated tone, as Pyrrha and her partner have not been on good terms the past couple of weeks.

Naruto nodded as he lead the two girls out of their dorm building. "You might have a point, but what would you guys like to do?" The blond asked.

Nora placed a finger to her head and squinted her eyes. "I don't know, any ideas Ren?" The girl asked, causing Naruto and Pyrrha to sigh.

The two strongest students glanced to one another and exchanged a silent conversation with one another. This of course prompted Naruto to wrap an arm around his partner, while they walked through the courtyard of the academy.

"We could always head into town and see what there is to do." Naruto proposed in a lighthearted tone.

Pyrrha nodded. "That sounds like a wonderful idea." The girl agreed.

Nora grinned wide at her teammates. "Alright it's decided, the four of us will hit the town!"

Naruto let a small sigh pass his lips, while he looked at his bubbly partner. He like Pyrrha knew there was only three people present, but neither teenager had the heart to tell Nora that.

"Yeah, seems like it." Naruto mumbled in a low voice, while he forced a soft smile.

"Yo Bro!" The loud voice of Yang called out.

The three members of team JNNP turned around to see Yang waving her brother down. While the rest of team RWBY followed closely behind.

"Hey sis." Naruto replied casually as he tossed a hand up in the air. "How have you been?"

Yang grinned and placed both her hands behind her head. "Busy!" The girl replied in an exhausted tone. "Ruby's been making us run a bunch of team training exercises to improve our teamwork."

"Hey we gotta get ready for the Vytal Festival!" Ruby pointed out to defend her actions. "If not we won't kick everyone's butt!"

Nora titled her head to the side. "You guys practice outside of class?" The orange haired girl began, before she made a slight pout and looked to Naruto. "Why don't we do stuff like that?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I don't need the practice." The blond replied confidently. "Plus we haven't had a leader around to plan practice sessions."

Pyrrha nodded with a slight frown. "If I recall our leader was against the idea of practicing to improve anyway."

Team RWBY looked to their friends with awkward looks, as they could all notice the odd looks and behaviors Team JNNP had. Pyrrha was obviously frustrated for some reason, while Naruto seemed annoyed. Though Nora, well she was just Nora.

"Well maybe instead of going into town the four of us can train together!" Nora purposed in a carefree tone. "I mean you two don't need the practice, but we could work on cool team attacks!"

Naruto laughed as he saw the gleam in Nora's eye when she mentioned team attacks. His partner definitely loved to create destruction.

"Wait four of you?" Weiss began, while glancing to the three teenagers. "Aren't you missing your leader?"

Pyrrha looked down sadly, while Naruto scoffed and looked to the side. As both teens had different reactions to the question involving their leader. Nora on the other hand looked to Weiss with a confused look.

"Can't you count Ice Queen?" Nora began with a soft laugh, while she started to point to the people she called by name. "Naruto makes one, Pyrrha is two, I'm three and Ren makes four. So say sorry to poor Ren for not including him."

Team RWBY all looked to Nora with surprised faces, as it finally dawned upon them who Ren was. Which finally solved the mystery that has been bugging the four girls.

"I see, well… uhhh I'm sorry?" Weiss spoke to the empty space beside Nora. Which caused the hammer wielding girl to smile.

Ignoring Nora for a moment, Blake looked over to Naruto and Pyrrha. "So where is your leader if you don't mind me asking?"

Naruto scoffed once more and shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows." The blond replied. "Probably off somewhere with his new best friend Cardin."

Yang frowned at what her brother had said. "Why would Jaune hang out with a jerk like Cardin?"

"Who knows." Pyrrha answered in a displeased tone.

"Err, well you could always ask him." Ruby began, while the black haired girl pointed off to the distance. Where Cardin and his team could be seen walking, while Jaune who was carrying all of their possessions was lagging behind.

Team JNNP frowned at the sight they were seeing. Though Naruto and Pyrrha didn't move or make a comment, but Nora on the other hand called out to her leader and ran towards him.

"Hey Jaune!" Nora shouted loudly, causing the boy to flinch and turn to see all of his friends.

Naruto sighed and placed his hands into his pockets and then along with the rest of his friends followed after Nora.

"Um hey guys." Jaune mumbled in a nervous voice, while Cardin looked over his shoulder and sneered.

"No time for talking Jauney-boy." Cardin instructed, as he made a gesture for Jaune to keep walking. "We've got places to be."

"Got it Cardin." The boy quickly yelped, as he started to walk off.

Though he didn't make it very far, as Nora stopped her leader by grabbing the back of his hoodie.

"Hold it right there buster." Nora began in a strict tone. "You've been ditching us for Cardin a lot lately! Me and Ren want to know what's been up with you?"

"It's nothing serious, just making new friends." Jaune lied.

Nora narrowed her eyes as she didn't like the answer she was given. So she placed her hands onto her hips and huffed. "And what about your team! We are your friends Jaune." Nora argued back, while she sent a glare at Cardin. "And you're brushing us off for those shit pushing gay boys."

Cardin and his team growled in anger, Pyrrha and the members of Team RWBY giggled. While Naruto leaned into his sister and grinned.

"I taught Nora that one." The blond whispered in a proud tone, while he wiped a tear from his eye.

Yang narrowed her eyes and punched her twin's shoulder. "You're a worse role model than mom and Uncle Qrow." She scolded.

Cardin tightened his fists and glared at Nora. "Why you stupid little bit-.." Cardin stopped as he headed the sound of metal being unsheathed.

Slowly turning his focus to Naruto, the bully started to tremble as he looked at the young Branwen. Naruto had his hand over one of his blades, while his glowing crimson gaze was staring Cardin down. His eyes begging the boy to finish the insult he started. As absolutely no one insulted the people Naruto cared about in his presence.

Cardin gritted his teeth and seethed. "Jaune let's go, your team is getting on my bad side. And you don't want to be on my bad side, right Jauney-boy?"

Jaune flinched and closed his eyes, as he knew the hidden meaning behind Cardin's words. "I understand Cardin." The boy mumbled.

"Oh no." Nora began, as grabbed the back of Jaune's hoodie once more. "Me and Ren both agree you're acting funny. Ren says it's all because of that bitch's bastard's whore over there."

Naruto wiped another tear from his eye at Nora's insult. "The student becomes the master." The blond mumbled proudly.

Yang leaned into her innocent sister Ruby. "Never repeat the words our brother tells you." The older sister instructed in a stern voice.

Cardin who was now shaking in anger glared at Nora and the nervous Jaune. "Maybe you and this Ren should stay out of things that don't concern you." The bully advised, while he took a slight step at Nora. "Or else."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, while he released a light laugh. "Or what?" The blond asked in a joking manner, before his eyes shifted into a fierce glare and his voice turned more hostile. "You even think of making one more step towards my partner or even keep looking like her like that. And I promise you'll regret it."

Cardin took a step backwards, but the prideful bully didn't want to look weak in front of his team for a second time. So he turned around and jerked his head high into the air. "Hurry up and ditch the losers Jaune." Cardin instructed before he started to walk off. Though while Cardin walked off his legs were shaking in fear. Showing that he acted high and mighty, but he was terrified of Naruto.

"Got it." Jaune replied, while he tried to break free of Nora's grasp. "Let go Nora!"

Nora's face shifted into a pout, while she held the boy back with her superior strength. "No, you're going to tell us what's going on. You're not acting like the Jaune we know. Me, Pyrrha, Naruto and Ren are all worried about you." The orange haired girl admitted.

"I'm fine, just leave me alone." The boy snapped.

"No you're not." Nora snapped back.

The remaining members of Team JNNP watched their partners argue in silence. As neither Naruto or Pyrrha wanted to step into the argument.

"What do you know?" Jaune asked in a slightly angered tone. "You're always too busy paying attention to Naruto and rambling about Ren to even notice what is happening!"

"This isn't about me, or our friends. This is about you Jaune! So don't bring Naruto and Ren into this!" Nora yelled back before she gripped hard onto the boy's hoodie and twisted him around to face her. "Please talk to us Jaune! Even Ren's noticed your odd behavior lately."

Jaune started to shake, as his anger was finally starting to boil over. Which meant his rage was starting to cloud his rational mindset.

"Will you stop talking about Ren!?" Jaune yelled in rage, while the boy pointed to the empty space by Nora. "There is no Ren! He is a figment of your imagination. So could you please stop living in your own make believe world? Because some of us have actual problems!"

"Jaune." Pyrrha called out, while reaching out for her partner to stop. Though Jaune held his hand out to block the girl.

"No." Jaune snapped while looking at Nora, the latter of whom was frozen still. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, while her body was shaking. "She needs to realize that there is no Ren and there never was. I don't know about you guys, but I'm sick of pretending like there is someone here just because Nora still has an imaginary friend. It's pathetic and I'm done! Nora needs to grow up and stop acting like such a child!"

Nora slowly released her hands off of Jaune, tears slowly forming around her eyes. Though she quickly looked down so no one would see her crying. "You think I don't know Ren isn't here?… you don't know…." Nora stopped as her words got choked up, so the girl brought a hand to her mouth and ran off.

Pyrrha watched her friend run off and tried to call out to her, but Nora didn't stop. She continued to run away from the group of friends. Jaune watched this action and immediately regretted his actions, the stress of dealing with Cardin was getting to him. So he took it out of one of his friends, who was just trying to help him.

Team RWBY looked between each other with awkward looks. As the argument turned out to be a little more nasty than anyone could have expected. Though the outcome did enrage a few members of Team RWBY.

"Way to go Jaune." Yang growled in anger, as the blond had really grown fond of Nora due to how close the girl was to her twin. "Way to be the world's biggest idiot."

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms, while she glared at the boy. "I agree with Yang, that was completely uncalled for." The Ice Queen pointed out.

Ruby looked in the direction Nora ran off and brought a hand up to her face. "Should we go find Nora and see if she is okay?" The girl asked.

Blake nodded. "We should all break into groups and look for her." The girl purposed. "She couldn't have got far."

Pyrrha agreed with that idea, and moved her eyes to Naruto. He was her partner and closest friend, so she wanted to know what he thought they should do. However, when she watched Naruto stalk over to Jaune she tensed up.

Jaune looked to his friend and noticed his emotionless face. It for some reason sent chills down Jaune's back. He knew Naruto and Nora were close, and Jaune had hurt Nora. So the leader of team JNNP felt remorse for his words. "Naruto I'm so sorry-.."

"Shut up." Naruto growled, while his hand gripped onto the front of Jaune's hoodie. Then showing his impressive strength Naruto lifted Jaune high into the air with one arm. "I don't care what bull shit you're going through, figure it out yourself. But you will never treat Nora like that again. Cause that will put you on my bad side. And trust me Arc, being on my bad side is a lot worse than being on Cardin's. So think of that whenever you go running back to your new little friend."

With that being said Naruto tossed Jaune back a few feet, making the leader fall onto his backside. "I'll see you guys later, I'm going to go make sure Nora is okay." The blond Branwen declared before walking off.

"Hey bro need help?" Yang called out, while she watched her brother walk away.

Naruto tossed a hand in the air and waved the girl off. "Don't worry I got everything handled." The boy replied in a casual tone.

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(With Nora)

Nora was sitting on the roof of her dorm, her legs dangling off of the edge. While her focus was placed onto a green box in her lap. She was sobbing uncontrollably while she gazed at the continents of the box.

"I miss you so much." The girl muttered in a low voice, while her trembling hands grabbed a small picture out of the box.

The portrait was of a younger Nora, who couldn't have been older than eight years old. Her younger self was perched on the shoulders of a smiling man with spiky orange hair. While a woman with a small sweet smile and blue hair stood beside them. The photo was a little damaged, showing it had been through quite a lot as time had passed.

"Mom… Dad." Nora mumbled in a low voice, her fingers tracing over the picture.

"Hey Nora you up here?" The voice of her partner called out.

Hearing the voice of Naruto, Nora placed the photo overtop two green objects and closed the box. She then attempted to wipe away the tears around her eyes. She didn't want her friend to see her crying like this.

"Yeah I am." Nora replied in a soft voice, before she felt a soft hand touch her backside.

"You okay?" Naruto asked in a low voice, while he took a seat beside his partner. He looked her over and noticed Nora had the box he had found on accident a little while ago.

Nora nodded and tried to fake a smile, but she did a poor job at doing so. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Naruto made a strange face and wrapped his arm around Nora. "Liar." The boy accused before pulling her in close. "Would it make you feel better if I told you I broke Jaune's legs? Cause I didn't, but I could if you want. He's quite fragile."

Nora giggled and allowed her partner to comfort her. "No that's fine, I'm mad at Jaune, but he made some good points. I've been living in denial for too long." The normally energetic girl explained in a calm and steady voice. "It's just I've been through alot and I never been good at coping with pain. So pretending Ren was with me helped me keep living on. I've known for awhile that I should stop, but I'm not strong enough to do it."

Naruto nodded and grabbed his flask and looked the small container over. "Everyone copes with pain in their own way. Some look to others for support. Some run away from their pain and others drink." The blond explained before tossing his favorite hobby off of the roof. "Maybe it's time we both move on."

Nora's eye grew wide as she watched the blond's action. "What are you doing?" The girl asked.

Naruto smiled. "We are partners, but more importantly you're the first friend I've ever had. So instead of leaning onto alcohol for support I'm going to lean on you. Just like I'll let you lean on me instead of pretending Ren is with you."

Once again tears started to roll down Nora's eyes, but these were tears of Joy not sadness. "You're the best partner." Nora mumbled, while she wrapped her arms around Naruto and gave him a strong hug.

Naruto smiled and patted Nora's head. "Well it's one thing to say it, but let me actually help you. So why don't you tell me why you made up this Ren individual?"

Nora backed away and frowned. "It's a long story, but first you should know Ren is a real person. And just like my parents he is no longer with us."

Naruto matched her frown. "I'm so sorry Nora." The blond began, but Nora shook her head.

"It's okay, but let me tell you about me." Nora began in a sad voice. "I grew up in Mistral, I lived with both my parents in a secluded cabin in the forest. My parents were both hunters, so we never worried about Grimm. But there is more dangers in the world than just Grimm…"

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(Flashback, Nora age 8)

"Nora it's time for breakfast!" A gentle and sweet voice called out.

Stomping through her house like a herd of wild beasts, one Nora Valkyrie came barreling her way towards the voice.

"Yay!" The cheery voice of Nora shouted, before the young girl rushed over to her family dining table and jumped into a chair. "Pancake time!"

The older woman in the room placed her hand to her mouth and stifled her laughter. Said woman had short hair like Nora, but unlike Nora the woman had blue hair. She was dressed in a simple short sleeve black shirt and matching black shorts. The woman didn't really try to dress to impress as she was home alone with no one besides her daughter. Though her attire did have a little flair thanks to the small blue flower in her hair.

"No pancakes today honey." The voice of Nora's mother Konan Valkyrie explained softly, while placing a small plate in front of Nora. "Guess eggs will have to suffice."

Nora's face shifted into a small pout. "Awww mom you know I hate eggs!" Nora whined, while she pushed the plate away and crossed her arms.

Konan shrugged her shoulders and took a seat by her daughter. "That's fine." The calm and composed mother began before she grabbed a fork and began to pick at Nora's breakfast. "More for me."

Nora's eyes grew wide as she watched her mother place a forkful of eggs in her mouth. Followed by Konan giving her daughter a small eye smile.

"Hey what do you know, I make some good eggs." The blue haired woman declared.

"That's my breakfast!" Nora complained as she reached out to take the fork and plate from her mother.

Konan opened one eye and smirked. "Oh is it? Then why am eating it!" The mother asked, while she continued to eat away at the food.

A vein popped on Nora's head as she started to grind her teeth. "Bad mommy! You're being mean!" Nora whined childishly.

Konan giggled. "I'm not that bad, i'm sure there is much worse mothers out there."

Unknown to both Valkyrie women, while this conversation was happening. Hundreds of miles away one Naruto Branwen was making breakfast for his hungover mother. Who had just woken from her drunken slumber by sneezing loudly.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Nora replied stubbornly as she jerked her head to the side.

Konan laughed and held some eggs towards her daughter. "I have an idea, why don't we share?"

Nora glanced to her mother and cracked a small grin. "Sure mom!"

Konan smiled victoriously as she had convinced her daughter to eat the breakfast she made with little difficulty. In fact from the smile on Nora's face while she ate, it was obvious to tell that the girl actually enjoyed her mother's cooking.

"So what do you think?" Konan asked sweetly?

Nora grinned with a mouthful of food. "It's no pancakes, but they are delicious!" The small female replied, spitting some eggs around as she talked.

Konan giggled and wiped away the mess her daughter made. "Nora honey use your manners and don't talk with your mouth full." The blue haired woman scolded. "You'll never get a boyfriend acting like that."

Nora scrunched up her face. "Ewww boys are gross, I'll never get a boyfriend!"

Down at the Branwen residence, one Naruto Branwen sneezed before he started to yell at his drunken mother to get off her ass.

Konan smiled wide. "Not all boys are bad, like your father for example." Konan looked slightly down, as her husband had left for a mission two weeks ago and hasn't returned. He should have been back by now, so it made the woman slightly worry about the man she loved.

Nora noticing her mother's sadden look frowned. "Cheer up mommy!" Nora ordered in a happy voice, while she held both her hands out.

Konan watched as a mixture of ice and snow swirled around her daughter's hand. Then in a fraction of a second a heart made of ice fell into Nora's tiny hands.

"Look what I learned how to do!" The small girl shouted, before presenting the heart to her mother. "It's for you, because I love you!"

Instead of looking pleased or proud of Nora's accomplishment, Konan looked to her daughter with a disappointing look. She then snatched the heart out of her daughter's grasp and crushed the ice in her hand.

"Nora what have your father and I told you? You are to never use your abilities. I don't care if you're alone or around others, your father and I have told you hundreds of times it's forbidden!" Konan scolded in an angered voice, one that made Nora flinch and look away.

"I'm sorry." Nora replied in a low voice, while a tear trailed down her eye. "I just wanted to make you smile."

Konan released a soft sigh and placed her arms around Nora. "My darling daughter just being around you makes my world. You're more special than you will ever know and I along with your father just want you to be safe. That's why you must promise me you will never use your powers again."

Nora started to sniffle and wipe her eyes. "But why?"

Konan smiled and cleared away Nora's tears with her fingers. "Like I said you're special, so special that people would want to hurt you if they discovered what you can do. So promise you will never use your gifts. I don't want to lose my precious daughter after all."

Nora looked up to her mother and nodded, for her mother she would do anything. "I promise mommy."

Konan kissed the top of Nora's head and grinned. "I love you my little winter child."

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(Present day)

Looking to his partner with confusion, Naruto raised an eyebrow. From his perspective he had been listening to Nora's tale and it's left him with so many questions. However, the one that was bugging him the most was the ability Nora mentioned. The one Nora's mother forbid her from using.

"Hey Nora." Naruto began, as he interrupted his partner's story for the first time. "What is your gift that your parents didn't want you using?"

Nora stopped speaking and bit her lip, she then glanced to her partner. She trusted the blond more than anyone, as he was the only one person left alive that she held dear to heart. So she knew he could be trusted with the important knowledge she held about her power, but that wasn't the main issue.

"Listen Naruto." Nora began in a low sad voice, while she began to fiddle with the box in her hand. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just because of what I am people die. My mom, my dad and even Ren. I bring bad luck to those for just being around me, I don't want to lose you like I lost them. In fact you should probably stay away from me."

Naruto reached out and placed his hand onto Nora's own two hands. He then gave the girl a confident smile once she looked in his direction. "Well if you bring bad luck it's good I'm the luckiest man alive. So why don't you tell me Nora? Besides if you didn't notice I'm kind of a badass, I won't go down easy."

Nora giggled and smiled wide at her partner, just like her family and Ren. Naruto just knew the right things to say to her.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Nora asked.

Naruto gave the girl a cocky grin. "Absolutely."

Nora nodded and held a hand outward, causing a small vortex of snow to swirl in her hand. "Do you know most fairy tales are actually true? For instance, have you heard the tale of the old wizard and the four sisters?"

Naruto's eyes grew wide, most people wouldn't know what was happening right now. Though Naruto wasn't most people and he instantly knew what Nora was.

"You're the Winter Maiden!" The boy shouted in shock.

"You see long ago there was-... wait what?" Nora replied in a shocked and flat voice, while cocking her head to the side. "How do you know about the maidens? Ozpin told me not many people know about them!"

Naruto looked to Nora with a gaping mouth. "My parents and uncle use to work for Ozpin. Hell I work for him now, but you mean to tell me you're the Winter Maiden and he knew?"

Both partners looked to each other with a great amount of surprise and confusion. As it appeared they both had been keeping secrets from one another.

"Wait you work for Professor Ozpin? Do you know about Salem as well?" Nora asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah my mom told me all about Salem and the maidens. And I decided to work for Ozpin a few weeks ago. But he never told me my partner was a freaking maiden!"

"Well he never told me my partner worked for him!" Nora replied.

The two shared a look and growled. "That old four eyed bastard/meany!" Naruto and Nora insulted in unison.

Naruto waved his hand around in the air. "Okay I can yell at Oz later. Knowing him he probably wanted you to tell me you were a maiden yourself. Though for now tell me what happened to your parents and Ren."

Nora nodded. "Well a few weeks later my father finally returned home from a mission. He came home seriously injured and was barking orders for me and my mother to run away. I don't remember much of that day besides being the most afraid I've ever been. And I didn't understand till a few years later when Ozpin told me everything, but my parents died because of me."

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(Flashback)

"I'm telling you to get out of here Konan!" A stern male voice commanded. "We were betrayed and now the enemy knows about Nora!"

"I'm not leaving you alone, you're half dead as it is Yahiko!" Konan argued back stubbornly.

"Will you listen to me Lionheart has-..." Yahiko stopped his rant and looked to the stairwell. Where he could spot his daughter looking down to him, she was shaking and obviously scared. "Nora come here, you and your mother are leaving."

Konan growled and poked her husband's chest. "Like hell we are! There is no way I'm leaving you behind to die."

Yahiko's stern features shifted into a soft and loving look. "I will not let harm come to the two women I love." The man declared with conviction. "So don't make me ask again, please leave and escape. The enemy is almost here."

Nora who was trembling looked up to her father, the man who she idolized was beaten and bloodied. It looked like the orange haired man had been through absolute hell. It actually terrified Nora to think of what was to come, because she thought her father was invincible. Though just from looking the man over it was clear to see how bad their situation really was.

"Dad I'm scared." Nora admitted in a low voice.

Yahiko bent down and gave his daughter a small grin before placing his hand onto her head. "Nora there is nothing to fear, I will always be here to protect you from danger."

Konan smiled and joined her husband in comforting her daughter. "That goes for both of us." The blue haired woman declared. "That's why Nora will run and I will stay here with you Yahiko."

Nora and Yahiko shared matching looks, as both father and daughter hated the idea.

"Absolutely not!" Yahiko shouted.

"Mommy no!" Nora cried as she barreled into the older woman. "I don't want to leave you two."

Konan gripped onto her daughter ignored the protests of her two loved ones. "Nora do you remember how to get to Kuroyuri village? You know the one we go to for supplies?"

Nora nodded. "Yeah."

Konan smiled. "Good, I want you to run there and hide. Stay there and wait for me and your father to come get you."

Yahiko sighed in defeat and decided to go along with his wife's plans. After all they didn't have time to argue. "Run fast and remember don't trust the hunters of Mistral. Mommy and daddy won't take long and then we will bring you home."

"Wait what? I don't wanna!" Nora cried out, as she gripped tightly onto both her parents.

Konan smiled and stood up. "Stay out of trouble and remember to hide what you can do." The mother instructed. "And don't forget to eat food besides pancakes."

Yahiko smiled and joined his wife's side. "And always brush your teeth and stop hiding your messes under your bed."

Konan giggled and held a finger out. "And always remember to use your manners young lady."

Yahiko laughed and shook his head. "And if you get involved with any boys you better make sure they can take on your old man."

Nora started to cry, as her parents words didn't sound like they planned to ever meet back up with her in Kuroyuri village. Their words sounded more like those of a final goodbye.

"We love you Nora." They both whispered in a low voice.

Tears rolling down her cheeks Nora started to sniffle. "I love you too."

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(Present day)

"And that's the last memory I have of my parents." Nora explained in a low sad voice. "From there I ran to Kuroyuri village and lived homeless in the streets for weeks. That was until a massive Grimm attack wiped out Kuroyuri village."

Naruto was speechless, as he didn't know what to say to his partner. He himself has never lost a parent, so he couldn't imagine the pain Nora has carried all these years.

"I'm so sorry Nora." Naruto mumbled, as sorry was all he could say.

Nora leaned into her partner and placed her head onto his shoulder. Thinking of her past always filled her with so much pain, but with Naruto she felt at peace.

"It's fine Naruto, it happened a long time ago. I never knew who killed my parents or how they did it. But a few years after I met Ren we returned to my old house." Nora tightened her fists and the air around her and Naruto turned ice cold. "Whoever killed them just left their bodies there to rot. I'll never forgive whoever killed them."

"If they were after you, whoever did it worked for Salem." Naruto pointed out in a low voice, his own anger showing through. "I swear I will be the one to end that bitch, but I'm curious. How did you meet Ren?"

Nora frowned and looked down. "Ren was from Kuroyuri village. You see during a large Grimm attack the entire village was slaughtered and the only two survivors were me and Ren." Nora bit her lip and balled her fists. "It was my fault that the Grimm came in the first place. Neither Ren nor I knew it at the time, but a few years later after I met Ozpin he explained everything. He told me how Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, but the negative emotions of a maiden are a hundred times more potent than the emotions of a regular human. So I was the one who brought the destruction of Kuroyuri village."

Naruto's eyes grew wide, he knew Grimm were attracted to negative emotions. Though he would never have thought the negative emotions of a maiden could be so strong.

"Nora." The blond mumbled in a low voice. "You can't blame yourself for losing your parents and having to live in the streets. Anyone in your shoes would have felt absolutely miserable, that couldn't be avoided."

A small tear broke down Nora's eye and she shook her head. "That's why I'm always so cheery and positive. I don't have the luxury to express my negative thoughts for too long, because if I do it would be Kuroyuri village all over again. That's why I always pretended Ren was still with me, it helped keep my mind in denial. That way everyone around me would be safe."

Naruto placed his hand on Nora's own and gave it a soft squeeze. "Well I say let your emotions out and if the Grimm come. Well I'll fight every single one myself."

"Why would you do that for me?" Nora asked in a low voice.

Naruto grinned wide. "Growing up I only had my mom. Sure I was raised in our tribe, but no one there really liked me. So I never had many close attachments to anyone, but my mom always told me to fight for those who are dear to you. That's why when I met you, Yang and Ruby I made my choice to do everything to protect you three. I finally had people besides my mother who I would lay my life down to protect. I would die if it meant keeping you three safe."

Nora scowled at her partner before slapping the back of his head. "Idiot you're not doing anything to get yourself killed. I'm not losing you too."

Naruto laughed, but as he saw the serious look on Nora's face he merely smirked. "I promise Nora, I'll always be right here by your side."

Nora puffed out her cheeks. "Promise?"

Naruto nodded. "You have my word."

Smiling wide Nora nora released a soft laugh, one that made Naruto's heart melt. "Ren would have liked you." The orange haired girl admitted.

"I'm sure I would have liked him as well." Naruto replied honestly. "But after Kuroyuri village fell, what happened?"

Nora sighed. "Well me and Ren started traveling together and over the years he became kinda like my big brother. He always watched out for me, made sure I ate, didn't forget my belongings and other things. He was one of the best people I had ever met."

"He sounds like a wonderful person." Naruto pointed out.

"Yeah he was, but like my parents he died because of me…. see when we were fourteen we started helping people as amuture huntsmen. We traveled all around helping different people who needed us. But one day some guy came to us, he kept spouting a bunch of crazy shit about finally finding winter. Though after everything I learned about what I am, I figured out he wasn't so crazy."

"He was after you, could he be the same person who killed your parents?" Naruto speculated.

"Who knows, what I do know was that guy was powerful. He completely outclassed me and Ren and almost killed me. Though Ren was hard set on protecting me, so much so that he died fighting our attacker." Nora explained in a flat voice. "After I saw that man jab his scythe through Ren I lost it. According to the man who found me I used my maidens power to fight the man off."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Who found you?" The blond asked.

"Some old drunk that works for Ozpin." Nora explained in an offhand tone. "His name was cow or something, I don't remember. But he brought me to Ozpin and that's when I learned about what I really was. And from there Ozpin placed me in a combat school to watch over me. Then a few years later here we are, and that's the tale of the winter maiden who brings bad luck to everyone around her."

Naruto nodded. "So Ren was murdered and my Uncle Qrow found you. Heh guess I owe that old drunk a thank you when I meet him."

"Cow is your uncle?" Nora asked in surprise.

Naruto laughed and nodded. "Yeah Qrow is my mother's twin."

Nora grinned. "Now that I think about it you and Cow have the same red eyes." The maiden pointed out.

"That we do, but I have one last question." Naruto began while pointing to the box on Nora's lap. "What's with the box?"

Nora smiled and opened the box. "It was Ren's, it's where I keep all my valuables. Like this photo of me and my parents." She explained, while showing the picture to Naruto.

"You look a lot like them." Naruto replied, but something else in the box caught his eyes. "Are those weapons?"

Picking up the two identical green handguns, Nora let a soft smile grace her lips. "these were Ren's weapons StormFlower."

Naruto looked at his own reflection off of the blades that were attached to each weapon. "They look in excellent care."

"Thank you." Nora replied while placing the weapons back in the box. "They are my most precious possession, so I try to take care of them."

Naruto grinned wide and reclined back. "Well I guess I know all about you now. So maybe I should tell you about me some more." The blond began as he looked up into the sky.

Nora closed the box in her lap and looked over to her partner. "Well I do have one question." The winter maiden began. "Well it's more of a request."

Naruto glanced over to his partner. "Ask away."

Looking down, Nora traced her hands over the box in her lap. "You said that you work for Ozpin now because you want to protect everyone." Nora began causing Naruto to nod. "Well in that case could you tell Ozpin you can't work for him… I don't want to lose you like I've lost everyone else."

Naruto let a soft grin pass his lips. "Sorry no can do."

"But!"

Naruto placed his hand to Nora's lips and gave the girl a fiery gaze. "Don't tell anyone this, but my mother told me Salem plans to attack Beacon." The blond revealed, causing Nora's eyes to be filled with fear. "That's why I made a promise to myself to protect everyone by fighting back. And now that I know she is after you. I can't possibly stand down, I will destroy anyone who tries to harm you Nora. That's a promise of a lifetime."

Tears started to roll down Nora's face at the blond's declaration. "Idiot." The girl mumbled.

Shrugging his shoulders Naruto laughed. "I've been called worse, but don't worry about me Nora. I made a promise to you already that I won't die and I never go back on my word. I'm going to fight Salem and win, because I'm not fighting for myself. I'm fighting for you."

Nora looked fondly into her partner's eyes, she had a slight build up in her chest as one word danced around in her mind. Though as she opened her mouth and poked Naruto's nose, something else came out. "Boop."

Naruto laughed and wrapped his arm around Nora, making the girl blush by their closeness. At first Naruto was just a friend to her, but Nora couldn't lie to herself. She loved her partner, but she didn't have the heart to tell him. The young maiden feared losing her friend if he didn't return her feelings, so she decided to keep them to herself.

"Hey Nora why don't we go get something to eat?" Naruto asked in a low voice. "I could make you some of Naruto Branwen's famous pancakes."

Nora nodded and looked up a large smile on her face as she looked into the sky. 'Mom, Dad and Ren. You can rest easy knowing I still have someone to watch over me in your place. But this time I'm gonna do everything to watch out for him too.'

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And that's a wrap! Man this one took awhile and I hope everyone enjoyed everything I did with Konan and Yahiko being Nora's parents. Decided to give her a little more back story. And speaking of Nora, bet no one anticipated I would make her the winter maiden in this story. Its an idea I've never seen and it brings an interesting dynamic into the story.

Now next thing to come is Jaune's character arc coming to a close and Team JNNP making amends with one another.

Then there is Naruto's first mission for Ozpin and after that we will be moving into Volume 2.

As always thanks for reading! Follow, favorite and review!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6. Forgiveness

"It's morning, it's morning, it's morning~!" Nora sang in a cheery voice, while the young maiden twirled around her dorm.

Naruto looked to his energetic partner and massaged his eyes. It was the day after Nora had revealed her past to Naruto, which also meant today was Naruto's first day of sobriety. So needless to say the young Branwen wasn't having a good morning.

"Nora." Naruto whined in a low voice. "Not so loud, it's too early for all that."

Pyrrha who was the only other person in the room giggled. "Naruto it's noon." The red haired girl pointed out.

Naruto sprawled out on his bed and sighed. "Exactly." Naruto then released a groan and started to fumble his right hand under his mattress.

Nora grinned wide and placed her hands to her hips. "Hey perk up Naruto, today we have a field trip so get excited!" The orange haired girl instructed, though her eyes grew wide when she watched Naruto fish a flask out of his mattress. "No bad!"

A sweat drop rolled down Pyrrha's head, while she watched Nora tackle Naruto off his own bed. The two partners then engaged in a small scuffle, as Nora was trying to pry the alcohol out of Naruto's grasp.

"Come on Nora just one drink then I promise I'll stop." Naruto begged, while he tried to tug the flask out of Nora's hands.

"No way! You said no more drinking, so it's my duty to keep you liable!" Nora replied before she forcefully pulled the flask out of Naruto's hands. "So don't even try it again mister, cause I'm watching you!"

Naruto nodded and sighed in defeat, while his eyes focused on the flask in Nora's hands. His mind trying to scheme a way to get his precious alcohol back.

"Hey Nora." Naruto began in a chipper voice as he pointed behind his partner. His crimson eyes then closed to form a small eye smile. "Is that some leftover pancakes I see?"

Nora jerked her head around faster than anyone could follow, while her mouth began to water. "Where? I call dibs!" The girl shouted.

Naruto smirked and swiped the flask out of Nora's hand and then before she could even register what was happening. The alcoholic Branwen placed the flask to his lips and tipped his head back. This action caused Nora to look back to her partner, but she didn't look upset. In fact Nora had a cocky smirk plastered on her face.

"Nothing's coming out!" Naruto cried in a depressed voice, while he lifted the flask high in the air and tried to shake anything out he could.

Pyrrha giggled and watched her teammate try to frantically get any drop of booze he could get. "It would appear you're out of alcohol." She pointed out.

Naruto looked to his flask, which he now realized was quite cold. It should have been filled with his favorite alcohol, but nothing was coming out. Though when he caught the gaze of his partner, the latter of whom could only smirk in his direction. It dawned upon Naruto what had happened.

"You froze it." Naruto accused in a low near silent voice, that way Phyrra couldn't hear him.

Nora smiled wide and slowly nodded her head. "Yup." The girl admitted pridefully.

Naruto growled and tossed the useless flask over his head. "Fine you win." The stubborn Branwen grumbled.

Nora jumped to her feet and skipped away from her partner. "Of course I do." She replied before grabbing a bottle off of her nightstand. "Here try this instead."

Catching the pink colored bottle in his hand, Naruto inspected the container with slight scepticism. Though he quickly shrugged his shoulders and decided to give it a try.

Nora and Pyrrha both watched as not a second after Naruto took a drink the blond instantly spit the liquid out. He then began to dry heave and slightly over exaggerate his reaction.

"It's poison." Naruto declared, before he dropped the bottle and placed his hands around his throat.

A sweat drop rolled down Nora and Pyrrha's head, while the latter of the two leaned into the former.

"What did you give him?" Pyrrha asked in a worried voice. "He looks in pain."

"Water." Nora deadpanned. "I gave him water."

Pyrrha couldn't help herself from giggling at the two partners. They were a perfect match for one another and there was never a dull moment when they were together. It actually made her slightly jealous, as her relationship with her own partner was nothing like Naruto and Nora's.

"Nora why?" Naruto asked in a weak voice as he fell onto his face.

A vein popped on Nora's head as she stalked over and lifted her partner up by his clothing. "Don't be such a drama queen!" The Winter Maiden scolded as she shook her partner around like a ragdoll.

Pyrrha sighed and walked over to her friends. "Maybe we should get ready to leave?" She purposed in a sweet voice. "We do have a field trip after all."

"Oh yeah that's right." Nora began in a happy voice, while she started to drag Naruto to the door. "Let's go!"

"Okay!" Naruto replied with false enthusiasm, while he pumped his arm into the air.

Pyrrha shook her head as she watched Nora drag the blond out of the door. It was hard to believe that only yesterday the girl was such an emotional wreck. Though when Naruto and Nora returned last night the orange haired girl was absolutely fine. Which showed Naruto's ability to comfort his partner, while also highlighting how close the two were.

"If only me and Jaune could be like them." Pyrrha mumbled in a low sad voice.

"Hey hurry up Pyrrha." Nora called from outside their dorm.

Picking herself up Pyrrha placed her negative thoughts away and ran after her friends.

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(With Jaune)

With a downward and defeated look on his face, Jaune walked through the halls of Beacon academy alone. Since the scene he caused with Nora yesterday, Jaune had felt terrible. So much so that he hadn't even returned to his team or their dorm since he went off on Nora. Looking back at the incident Jaune could see he was out of line and he regretted his actions. He definitely owed not only Nora, but his entire team an apology. As these past two weeks Jaune has been a terrible person, leader and most importantly friend.

Though Jaune wasn't completely at fault for his behavior, as Cardin could be held somewhat responsible for blackmailing the young man. Still Jaune knew that was a poor excuse for his actions. As if Jaune wasn't so weak he wouldn't be in the situation he was in to begin with.

"If only I wasn't so pathetic." Jaune began before tightening his fists. "Pyrrha, Nora and Naruto are all so great. They don't deserve a worthless liar for a leader."

Jaune tightened his fists and punched a locker to his side. He then leaned against the locker and pressed his forehead against the metal door.

"Why me?" Jaune asked himself out loud. "Why is such a screw up like me the leader of such a great team?"

"Hmmm that is an interesting question, but the answer is quite simple." A calm and collected voice spoke up. "Though you shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

Turning around in surprise, Jaune meet the careful and collected gaze of his headmaster. "Professor Ozpin!" Jaune shouted in shock, while bending down in respect. "I didn't see you there, I'm sorry."

Ozpin laughed and took a sip of coffee from the mug in his hand. "Oh it's very alright, but talk to me Mr. Arc." The man began before pointing to Jaune with his cane. "You seem troubled."

Jaune looked down, as he couldn't meet his headmaster's gaze. The blond haired student was trembling as one question danced around in his mind. Though Jaune didn't have the courage to ask Ozpin what was truly on his mind.

"It's nothing." The boy lied.

Ozpin nodded at the obvious lie and gave Jaune a small smile. "You asked yourself why I appointed you team leader." The man began in a calm voice. "I mean I could have made Pyrrha the leader, as she is a world renowned warrior. Or I could have placed Nora in charge, she is quite special and powerful. Then there was the possibility of Naruto, who has more skill and experience than most veteran huntsman."

Jaune tightened his fists. "But you made me team leader instead."

Ozpin released a light chuckle. "Why of course I did, you were the obvious choice after all."

Jaune's eyes grew wide and his head shot up to look at the older huntsman. "How could that be true? You said it yourself, Pyrrha, Nora and Naruto are all amazing. Any one of those three could have been our team leader, but instead you picked the weakest student at Beacon to lead arguably three of the strongest students at the academy."

"You see Mr. Arc physical strength isn't everything. Miss Nikos is a powerful fighter, but she is timid and lacks the qualities of a leader. Then there is Miss. Valkyrie who is a little unstable and wild, so she is also unfit to be a leader. Finally there is Mr. Branwen who is without a doubt one of the strongest individuals I know, but he was raised by his mother. Who is a headstrong and stubborn women that would let her emotions cloud her judgment. A trait she clearly passed onto her son."

"So I was made leader my default." Jaune replied in a depressed voice.

Ozpin shook his head. "Not exactly, you see Mr. Arc I never do anything without reason."

"Then why me?" Jaune finally asked. "Why make me leader?"

"Do you like fairy tales Mr. Arc? I myself enjoy them very much. There is so many great stories passed down from generation to generation. It often makes one wonder if some of the old fables and legends are true. At this very moment I'm reminded of the old legend of the warrior king, are you familiar with it?"

Jaune looked to the rather odd huntsman with a confused look, as he didn't know the importance of Ozpin's random rambling. Though Jaune decided to play along and nodded his head.

"Yeah it was a story my father would tell me growing up." The blond teenager explained.

Ozpin smiled. "Care to retell what you remember?"

Jaune looked to the side and rubbed his arm, his mind trying to figure out his headmaster's strange request. "Uh, well when Vale was just a new and relatively small kingdom. It was ruled by a powerful king who not only lead his people from the throne, but also on the battlefield. My father told me dozens of stories of how the warrior king would defend his kingdom from bandits, armies and even the creatures of Grimm. My favorite of these stories was how the king along with his most trusted knight defeated a fearsome Grimm that resembled a dragon."

Jaune's eyes lit up, as he started to get absorbed into the old fairy tale his father would tell him. "The monster had caused destruction all over the kingdom. So the king along with one hundred soldiers and the leader of his knights order went after the beast. Though the Grimm proved too powerful and nearly obliterated the king and his army, but he didn't give up. He along with the grandmaster of his knights order stood their ground. Then after one of the most epic battles in the history of the kingdom, the king and his most trusted knight slayed the creature of Grimm."

Ozpin rubbed his chin and looked up. "Ah yes, the tale of how the hero king and his gallant red eyed knight protected their kingdom. It's quite the marvelous story."

Jaune nodded with a large grin. "It's the story that inspired me to be a huntsman. As a kid I wanted to be a great hero just like the King in the stories."

Ozpin smiled and closed his eyes. "And one day you just might do so, after all when I look at you Jaune I can't help myself from thinking of that fairy tale. The warrior king who was powerful, but his strength was not what defined his legend. No it was his ability to inspire his followers and bring out the best in their abilities." Ozpin started to walk away from his stunned student with a small smile. "That's why I allowed you into my school and made you the leader of your team. You have more in common with the warrior king than you know."

"Re-really?" Jaune stammered out in surprise.

Ozpin chuckled and looked over his shoulder. "The ability to inspire and bring out the best in his followers. That's what defines a true leader, always remember that Mr. Arc. You're a leader now, so it's your duty to be at your very best. That way you can bring out the best in Naruto, Nora and Pyrrha. They are all counting on you after all."

Jaune watched his headmaster walk away with a stunned gaze. However, something Ozpin said clicked into Jaune's mind. "Wait, he said allowed me into the school. Did Ozpin know I tried to lie my way into Beacon and he let me in anyway?"

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(Forest of Forever Fall)

All the teams were gathered together and walking through the forest, while professor Goodwitch lead the small expedition. Naruto who was flanked by his teammates Nora and Pyrrha looked at the red leafed trees with little interest. Though Nora and Pyrrha did seem quite impressed by the beauty of the nature around them.

"Yes students the forest of Forever Fall is beautiful, but remember we are not here to sightsee. Professor Peach has asked you all to collect sap samples from the trees deep within the forest. And I'm here to make sure none of you die doing so." Glynda explained to the group of students as they walked throughout the forest. "Each of you is to obtain one jar of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm so stay by your teammates and keep on your guard."

As Glynda finished her explanation the teams all began to break apart and head out to collect their samples. Team RWBY stuck close together and went further into the forest, while Nora grabbed onto Naruto's arm.

"Let's go get some sap!" The Winter Maiden cheered happily, while she lead Naruto deeper into the forest.

Naruto grinned and looked over his shoulder. "Heh, hurry up Pyrrha." The blond called out. "Nora heard this sap is pretty tasty stuff. So I won't be able to slow her down."

Pyrrha looked to her two teammates and then she looked sadly over to her partner. Jaune was following Cardin and carrying all of the bullies jars for him. This caused the girl to look down sadly before following after Naruto and Nora.

Jaune glanced over to the retreating forms of his team and frowned. While the conversation he had with Ozpin echoed in his mind. Though before the blond could do anything Cardin called out to him.

"Hurry along Jaune, you got some sap to collect."

"Coming cardin!"

Over with Team RWBY the four girls were all grouped around a few trees and were collecting sap together. Ruby was currently hunched over her partner Weiss and was watching the girl fill a jar with sap.

"That sap sure smells good." Ruby commented.

Weiss nodded and exchanged a jar full of sap for an empty jar with her partner. "Yes, but Grimm also find the scent of red sap very alluring. So we must be on our guard while collecting these samples."

Yang who was stationed at another tree with her own partner snickered. "You think about the negatives too much Ice Queen."

Weiss released a small huff. "I'm only thinking realistically. I don't know about you, but I don't plan to die in a forest collecting sap."

"I doubt professor Goodwitch would allow us to roam around the forest if the Grimm threat was life threatening. Worse case scenario we might run into one or two creatures of Grimm." Blake pointed in a calm voice.

Yang grinned and held one of her fists out. "Besides if any Grimm show up we can take care of them no problem." The confident blond proclaimed.

Ruby giggled. "Or our big brother could just deal with them all for us." The youngest of the group added in.

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Tch, at least your barbaric brother would be good for something." The girl insulted, earning a sour look from Yang.

"Awww is the Ice Queen talking about me?" A sarcastic voice asked, earning the attention of all four girls. "Don't I feel special."

Team RWBY all looked over to find Naruto standing a few feet away. He had his two female partners behind him and all three of them had jars full of red sap, well all except Nora. Though from the red substance caked around her lips, it was obvious to see why hers was empty.

"You guys work fast." Blake praised as she looked at the three members of team JNNP. "Looks like you almost got all your jars filled."

Naruto groaned and glanced over to Nora. "Well we would be finished a long time ago, but someone keeps cleaning out the jars with her bottomless stomach."

Nora made a childish pout and looked to Pyrrha. "Yeah way to go Pyrrha." The orange haired girl scolded.

The red haired warrior gave her teammate a friendly smile. "Uh Nora, I believe Naruto was referring to you." The girl admitted.

Nora titled her head and looked to Naruto, who merely nodded in confirmation. "Oh yeah that makes sense, by the way can I borrow your jar Naruto?"

The red eyed teenaged sighed and handed his full jar to Nora. "Knock yourself out." The blond replied as he grabbed the empty jar from Nora.

Nora grinned and quickly began inhaling another jar of red sap. An action which caused all the members of Team RWBY to look at the girl with disgusted faces.

Pyrrha simply shook her head and released a soft sigh. "At this rate we will be here all day or forced to take a failure on our assignment." The red haired girl pointed out.

Naruto laughed and walked over to an unmanned tree. "Nah, we will be fine. Worse case scenario I'll swipe a few jars from another team." The blond revealed before looking over his shoulder to team RWBY. "You ladies better keep an eye on your jars, my sister has been annoying me a lot lately. So you never know, I might just steal your jars out of principle."

Weiss glared at the blond and held her jar close to her chest. Showing how she was against the notion of someone negatively affecting her grade. "You will do no such thing!"

Yang laughed and waved her teammate down. "Don't throw a tantrum Weiss, my brother is all talk. He won't do anything."

Naruto smiled wide and kept his focus on the tree he was collecting sap from. "Our mother said very similar words Yang. And trust me, she regretted underestimating what I can do."

Yang rolled her eyes and muttered a whatever, causing Ruby to giggle at her siblings. The youngest of the three siblings then looked over to Nora and gave the girl a friendly smile.

"Hey Nora how are you feeling today? You had us all worried the other day." The youngest of the teens asked.

Nora who had a mouthful of sap bent down and waved the girl off with a gleeful expression. "Ofhh I'mfine!" The girl replied in a hardly recognizable voice.

A sweat drop rolled down Blake's head. "Uh, that's great Nora." The Faunus replied awkwardly.

Taking a hard swallow Nora grinned and looked to her partner lovingly. The latter of whom was unaware of her look. "I wouldn't be doing so good if it wasn't for Naruto." The orange haired girl mumbled in a low voice. "He's a great partner."

Pyrrha and team RWBY all smiled, as they caught the look Nora sent to her oblivious partner. Yang being the teasing sister she was quickly leaned into her brother's partner. She then slung an arm around the winter maiden and gave her a sly grin.

"So got a thing for my twin do we?" Yang asked in a low voice. "Not surprising, we've got some pretty good family genes."

Nora turned completely red while the two girls looked over to the blond haired teenager collecting sap. Naruto wasn't listening to any conversation going on behind him, instead he was busy refilling all of the jars Nora emptied out.

"Pfffttt no." Nora replied not so casually as she started to laugh awkwardly. "He's just my best friend."

Pyrrha released a soft laugh and placed her hands behind her back, she then leaned into Nora and Yang. "I believe Yang is correct, you do smile quite often when looking at him. Plus I always catch you stealing glances at him."

Nora buried her face into her hands. "Ahhh not you too Pyrrha." The girl whined in embarrassment. "That's not cool."

Blake smirked as she and the remaining members of team RWBY swarmed Nora.

"I think it's adorable, it reminds me of a little orange book I've read." The book loving girl admitted, before a faint blush graced her face. "Though that book gets pretty steamy at the end."

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't see the appeal with that buffoon. You could do so much better."

Yang opened her mouth to protest Weiss's insult and stick up for her twin. Though all the girls present shuddered, as a cold chill swept over them.

"Don't talk bad about him." Nora warned in a cold icy tone, as the glare from the normally cheery girl was enough to leave Weiss too stunned to speak. "Naruto is amazing and he may not care what you say about him. However, I do so stop."

Weiss nodded. "Alright I'm sorry." The white haired huntress apologized in low voice.

Nora grinned wide and switched back to her usual bubbly and happy self. "Good!" The girl chirped before she found herself in a headlock from Yang.

"Aww my brother is so lucky to have a girlfriend like you." Yang teased.

Trying to pry Yang off of her, Nora turned red once more. "I'm not his girlfriend, just his friend."

"Yeah sure." Yang laughed in a sarcastic voice. "Just admit it Nora, as his twin I could help you out."

"Oh I wanna help too!" Ruby giggled in a cheery tone as she bounced on her heels.

Hearing struggling and giggling, Naruto perked up and looked over his shoulders. For some reason unknown to the blond haired male all the females were huddled around his partner. So his curiosity slightly raised, Naruto stood to his feet.

"Hey what are you ladies talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Well you see bro." Yang drawled out, while she looked slyly down to Nora. "Your partner-.."

"Nothing." Nora cut in, while her hand clapped onto Yang's mouth. "We were talking about nothing!"

Naruto raised his eyebrow and chuckled, he didn't buy into the girl's lie one bit. "Oh really, it looks like something."

All of the girls smiled innocently, while Yang tried to remove Nora's hand. Though when the blond female caught the worried look in Nora's eyes she sighed and freed her mouth.

"We were talking about girl stuff, nothing you wanna hear about." Yang lied in a plain voice, one that her brother bought into.

"Thank you." Nora mumbled in a low voice, as the last thing she wanted was to ruin her and Naruto's current relationship.

Naruto grinned and tossed his hands behind his back, he then started to walk over to the girl's. However, the loud stomping of feet and shouting grabbed his attention.

"Ursa! Ursa!" One of Cardin's teammates screamed as he blazed past Naruto.

Holding his arm out, Naruto grabbed one of Cardin's teammates by the throat and slammed him into a tree.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked in a deathly serious voice. As he didn't spot Jaune with any of the bullies.

"It's… it's an Ursa. It has Cardin and the loser." The boy wheezed out his explanation.

Naruto growled and tossed the boy aside, Pyrrha was already running in the direction of where Jaune should be. So the blond walked over to his sister's team and placed his hand on Yang's shoulder. "You four inform Goodwitch, me and Nora will follow Pyrrha."

"I gotcha Naruto." Yang replied as she and her team ran off to find Goodwitch.

Nora ran beside her partner, worry clearly on her face as she looked to the blond haired Branwen. "We gotta hurry and make sure Jaune is okay!" The orange haired girl began before running off.

Naruto sighed and watched his partner run off. "After all that idiot said to upset her and she still worries about him. You're a far better person than me Nora, but I guess that's what I like about you." The blond mumbled to himself before running after his friend.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(With Jaune, a few minutes earlier)

Jaune who was holding six jars of red sap in his hands, looked over to Cardin with confusion. The bully had forced Jaune to fill six jars exactly, while the orange haired male did nothing. So it made Jaune wonder why he collected six full jars of red sap, when in reality they only needed five.

"Um Cardin, why did you have me collect six jars? We only needed five." The blond haired boy began, while he started to place the jars on the ground.

Cardin leaned into Jaune and scooped up one of the jars before forcefully shoving it back into Jaune's hands. Causing the leader of team JNNP to release a soft grunt.

"I'm glad you asked Jaune, you see thanks to a report you wrote for me. I learned Rapier Wasps love the scent of red sap. So since we just so happen to have a box of wasps and an extra jar of sap. You're going to pour that sap all over your three miserable teammates and we will watch the wasps chase after them." Cardin explained in a superior tone, as he was excited to finally give Naruto some payback.

Jaune looked down to the jar in his hands. He had been a terribly teammate and leader lately and now Cardin was asking him to do something far worse than he has already done. Though as Jaune gazed down onto the jar he remembered what Ozpin had said, he was a team leader now. So regardless of what Cardin held over him, Jaune wouldn't let anyone harm his team.

"No." Jaune replied in a firm tone, while shrugging his shoulder and breaking away from Cardin. "You can do whatever you want to me, But Pyrrha, Nora and Naruto are off limits. As their leader I won't let my actions and choices hurt them."

Cardin gritted his teeth and shook his head. "Jaune, Jaune, Jaune. You gotta understand I hold all the cards here. If you don't do what I say then you're one talk with Goodwitch away from being kicked out of Beacon."

"I don't care about that." Jaune replied in stern voice, his fingers slowly tightening on the jar in his hands. "Get me kicked out of the academy, I don't care anymore I deserve it. However, I won't stand by and let you harm my friends!"

With that being said, Jaune pulled his arm back and threw the jar right at Cardin. Which caused the glass jar to break on impact with the boy's armored chest and its contents to spill all over him.

"Grrr, Jaune you little idiot." Cardin growled as he stalked over to the blond.

Jaune's eyes grew wide as he watched the enraged bully walk in his direction. "Cardin I'm sor-..."

Jaune's speech was cut off by Cardin, the latter of whom planted a fist into Jaune's stomach knocking the wind out of the blond male.

"I'm gonna beat the shit out of you Jaune." Cardin declared before punching Jaune in the face, sending the boy into the dirt with the force of his blow.

Cardin's team all stood back and watched with sick twisted grins, as their leader began to pummel Jaune into the ground. The young Arc tried to bring his arms up to defend himself, but it didn't stop Cardin who just kept mercilessly beating onto Jaune.

"You think staying at Beacon will make you strong?" Cardin asked, while he sat on top of Jaune and continued to beat down on the boy. "You snuck into the academy a pathetic loser and that's what you will always be Jaune! You're not destined to be some great hero. All you're is a loser and a little kid who wants to play hero."

Jaune's aura began to flicker, showing Cardin's assault was starting to take its toll.

"G-get.. off." Jaune ordered in a weak voice, while he tried to push the bully off of his body.

Cardin laughed and raised a fist high into the air. "Not so great without your little team to protect you Jaune. Looks like the only thing you really are good for is taking a beating!"

Jaune watched Cardin bring his fist down for one final blow and closed his eyes shut, while bracing himself for the pain. Though something in his mind clicked, as Jaune saw the faces of his three teammates. Ever since they first became a team Naruto, Nora and Pyrrha all believed he could be a great leader. So he had to prove their faith wasn't misplaced. He had to push himself for their sake.

'I won't ever give up, I'm the leader of team JNNP!' Jaune roared in his own mind, his eyes snapping open to see Cardin's fist mere inches from his face.

Though to the surprise of everyone watching, Jaune's body started to radiate an extremely bright light. One that blinded everyone watching from seeing what was happening. The bright light only lasted for a few seconds, but after it cleared Jaune was seen standing on his feet. The boy was perfectly unharmed and a light hue was still outlining his body.

"What is this?" Jaune gasped in surprise, while he watched the white outline around his body slowly disappear.

"Ahh damnit, my hand!" The voice of Cardin seethed in pain.

Jaune looked over and down, so he could see Cardin. Who was on his backside and gripping his bloody hand, which obviously looked broken.

"Did I do that?" Jaune asked in a low surprised voice, while looking to his own hands. "Just what exactly happened?"

Jaune didn't get his answer, but instead the loud roar of an Ursa grabbed his attention. This caused Jaune to look back over to Cardin, who had an Ursa slowly making its way over to him.

"It's an Ursa! Run for it!" One of Cardin's teammates shouted in fear, before three of the bullies took off running.

Jaune watched as the Ursa raised a claw high above Cardin, showing it planned to attack the bully. So grabbing his sword and shield Jaune rushed forward and saved his tormenter by blocking the attacking Grimm with his shield. Then by swinging his sword Jaune managed to give the Ursa a small cut on it's arm.

"Let's go! Show me what you've got!" Jaune shouted, while he started to circle around Cardin. That way he could move the Ursa away from the downed bully.

The Ursa released a loud roar and stood on its hind legs, causing Jaune to drop into a defensive stance. The Grimm then dropped two claws down onto Jaune's shield. This made the blond slightly buckle and grit his teeth, as the superior strength of the Ursa was almost too much for him. However, thinking quick Jaune bent down and rolled under the Ursa's legs.

"Take this!" Jaune cried as he sliced the Grimm from behind with his sword.

Though this action only seemed to further enrage the creature, because the Ursa turned around and swung one of its arms right at Jaune. The latter of whom barely had enough time to block with his shield.

Over to the side of the clearing where Jaune was fighting, Naruto, Nora and Pyrrha had just arrived on the scene. All three teenagers could see Jaune was in distress, but not all three had the same idea when it came to helping him. Nora already had her weapon at the ready and was prepared to spring into action. Naruto on the other hand merely stood by his partner with his arms crossed, he wanted to see if Jaune had what it took to fight the beast alone. Finally there was Phyrra who was in the same boat as Naruto.

"We gotta help him." Nora began as she stepped forward, but she stopped as Pyrrha blocked her by outstretching her arm.

"No, we can't always fight Jaune's battles for him. This is his fight, so we will leave it to him." The red haired warrior explained, earning a nod from Naruto.

"Pyrrha is right and besides if he gets in serious trouble I'll bail him out."

Nora nodded and placed her weapon on her backside, she didn't know if Jaune could beat the Ursa alone. However, she had complete faith that Naruto wouldn't let their leader get injured.

"Alright I won't interfere." Nora mumbled softly, as she along with her two teammates watched Jaune stagger back from the Ursa.

Jaune who was unaware that his team was watching him, looked down to his scroll. This allowed him to see his aura meter, which was in the red.

"This isn't good, that beating from Cardin really took a lot of my aura away. I gotta end this quick." Jaune mumbled to himself before taking off in a sprint at the Grimm.

Naruto watched with slight interest as he saw Jaune drop into a stance that replicated his own fighting style. It appeared as if Jaune was trying to mimic one of Naruto's sword strikes that he had observed in the past. It was sloppy and nowhere near Naruto's level, but it allowed Jaune to catch the Ursa by surprise and strike the beast in the side.

"Not bad." Naruto mumbled to himself.

After slicing the Ursa's side, Jaune ran in a small semi circle before darting right back at the Grimm. This time however, Jaune took a leap into the air and raised his sword high above his head. Showing this time he was trying to emulate his partner Pyrrha with his attack.

Pyrrha easily recognized her own fighting style, but her eyes grew wide as she watched the Grimm move its claw to attack Jaune's exposed side. 'He's forgetting to block!' The redhead thought in concern before she raised a hand out towards Jaune.

Naruto catching Pyrrha move her arm out of the corner of his eye glanced to the girl. He then looked to Jaune and noticed his shield be forcefully moved to block the Ursa's strike. Which was followed by Jaune bringing his sword down and decapitating the beast.

"Nice save Pyrrha." Naruto mumbled in a low voice, while placing his hands in his pockets. "For a second I thought I would have to get involved."

Nora raised her eyebrow and looked between her two teammates. "What?" The girl spoke up in confusion.

Pyrrha smiled and placed her arm to her side. "You have your ability to absorb electricity and Naruto has his luck. My semblance is polarity."

"Oh." Nora began as she pieced together what had happened. "That's pretty useful."

Pyrrha nodded and looked over to Jaune, the latter of whom was standing over top of the slain Grimm. Jaune hovered over the Ursa for only a brief second before he placed his weapon away and walked over to Cardin.

The bully watched Jaune stop by his side and hold a helping hand out. "Holy crap Jaune." The bully gasped in surprise, while he was pulled to his feet.

Jaune pulled Cardin in close and gave the boy a fierce glare. "Stay away from me and my team. I'm done with your bull shit." The blond leader declared before backing away and walking off, though this allowed Jaune to see his team in the distance. "G-guys?"

Naruto smirked. "Nice job Jaune."

Nora grinned and gave the boy a thumbs up. "You did good Jaune."

"I agree with our team, we are all proud of you Jaune." Pyrrha declared.

Jaune slowly walked over to his team and put his head down. As he couldn't look at all three of them in the eyes. "I'm so sorry guys, I need to apologize for my behavior. I've been an awful leader and friend. Can you all forgive me?" The boy asked before looking up to Nora. "Especially you Nora, I'm sorry for what I said."

Nora let a soft smile pass her lips and she held her arms out. "Aww come here Jaune." The cheery girl instructed in a happy voice.

Jaune smiled and walked forward to meet his teammate for a hug. However, Jaune wasn't prepared for Nora to bend her arm down and sucker punch him in the gut. Which caused the boy to gasp for air and fall over.

"I deserved that." Jaune winced, while he held onto his stomach.

Nora laughed and placed her arms on her hips. "Sorry Jaune, Naruto told me to do it. Though that makes us even." The girl declared, making Jaune nod.

"That's great." The boy wheezed out.

Naruto gave Jaune a way too friendly grin and held a hand out to him. "Why don't I help you up leader?"

Jaune accepted the hand and was brought to his feet, but once again he was unprepared for the fist that was planted into his gut. So the blond haired leader fell back onto his back and groaned.

Naruto placed his hands into his pockets and released a soft laugh. "Sorry Jaune, Nora told me to do that. Though that makes me and you square now." The blond Branwen informed.

Jaune rolled on his stomach and groaned in pain. "I'm so happy."

Pyrrha shook her head and sighed. "I swear you and Nora were destined to be together." The red haired huntress began before holding a hand out to Jaune. "Come on Jaune, let me help you up."

Jaune looked up to his partner skeptically. "If you're gonna hit me, please just do it while I'm already down." The boy begged.

Pyrrha gave Jaune a soft smile. "I believe you've had enough." She pointed out before lifting Jaune up and slinging him over her shoulder.

"Thanks Pyrrha."

Naruto grinned and turned around. "Well seems like everything is good, so let's get out of here." The blond began before walking off.

Nora ran by her partner and frowned. "But we haven't got all our jars yet!"

Naruto snickered and pulled out two jars. "It's okay I swiped two from Weiss and Yang before they ran off to find Goodwitch." The blond declared in a happy tone. "Shows that annoying sister of mine not to mess with me!"

"Hehe yeah!" Nora cheered while tossing a fist into the air. "Nobody messes with us!"

Pyrrha who was lagging behind with Jaune shook head head and laughed. "Those two I swear." The girl mumbled.

"Hey Pyrrha." Jaune began in a low voice, earning his partner's full attention. "I was wondering… if you still wanna help me get stronger… because I'd like your help."

Pyrrha smiled at her partner. "I'd love to help you Jaune." The girl replied softly.

Matching her smile, Jaune looked deep into his partner's eyes. "Thanks Pyrrha, I'll make you proud and work hard."

"I know you will Jaune." The girl replied in a low voice, while a wave of joy swept over her. As now her and Jaune were on the track to becoming even closer as partners.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(A few hours later at Beacon)

Naruto was currently making his way to Ozpin's office, while Nora decided to follow her partner. After their field trip in the forest had ended Naruto had received a vague message from Ozpin merely saying it's time. So Naruto figured he had something important to discuss and since Nora knew everything about Naruto she decided to tag along.

"So what do you think Ozpin wants?" Nora asked.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows, but whatever he wants it's better than dealing with the Ice Queen and Yang."

Nora giggled, because her partner stole Weiss and Yang's jars the girl's were both forced to take failures on their assignment. This was due to the fact that Glynda ended the expedition before more Grimm could show up, so anyone who failed to collect their jars had failed the assignment. So suffice to say Weiss was a little aggravated with Naruto.

"Well in my opinion Weiss and Yang had it coming." Nora pointed out in a playful tone. "Though if I were you I'd sleep with one eye open. Giving Miss Perfect her first failure probably sent her over the edge, she probably wants to kill you."

Naruto snorted. "Please, I've had death threats and attempts on my life from Raven Branwen. I'm not afraid of the Ice Queen."

Nora gave her partner a blank look. "Your mother tried to kill you, why am I not surprised?" The girl deadpanned, while thinking her partner and his mother had one of the most strange relationships she had ever heard of.

"Many times actually." The blond clarified, while he and Nora entered an elevator that lead to Ozpin's office.

While the duo ascended to the office, Nora yawned and stretched her arms out. "Well moving away from your mother. I hope Ozpin won't keep us long, I'm exhausted."

Naruto released a small chuckle. "You mean your endless energy actually has its limits?" The boy asked.

Nora's face made a small pout and she playfully shoved her partner. "Hey I'm not that bad!" The girl whined.

Naruto smirked and squinted eyes. "Hmmm, are you sure about that?" The boy teased in a playful voice.

Nora narrowed her eyes and poked her partner's chest. "Now hold on buster, I'll admit I can be a little energetic." She began, causing Naruto to roll his eyes at the word little. "But you are just as bad as me in your own way! Or should I bring up your alcohol problem?"

Naruto leaned back and held a finger up. "One not fair that's a direct attack. Two it's not a problem, because I quit cold turkey."

Nora crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Then what do you call our little incident earlier this morning?"

Naruto scoffed and looked to the side. "I was just testing you. Had to make sure you would keep me accountable." The blond explained.

Nora nodded her head and laughed while pointing to Naruto's pockets. "Is that so? Well would you mind emptying your pockets?" The Winter Maiden asked.

Naruto looked to his partner with a bewildered gaze. "No I wouldn't mind, because I have nothing to hide." The blond declared, though he made no move to reveal the contents within his pockets.

"Well, show me." Nora ordered in a stern tone.

Naruto crossed his arms and jerked his head to the side. "I don't have to show you anything." The boy replied stubbornly.

A vein popped on Nora's head. "I thought you had nothing to hide? So show me what you've got!"

Naruto slowly leaned against the wall of the elevator and shook his head. "Tch you're acting more like a mom than my own mother." The blond pointed out. "But I'm still not showing you anything, you'll just have to take my word."

Nora growled and reached out and started to reach into her partner's pockets. "Looks like we are doing this the hard way then!" The girl shouted as Naruto tried to fight her off.

"Hey stop!" Naruto demanded, but his partner didn't listen.

"I will if you just show me what you're hiding!" The girl replied.

"Never!" The blond hissed as he and Nora went into a knockdown fight for the items Naruto had hidden away.

The two partners rolled all around the elevator in their small scuffle. This caused them both to be unaware of the door to the elevator opening, which allowed Ozpin to watch the two from the comfort of his desk.

"Hah I knew it!" Nora declared while she held a flask of alcohol victoriously into the air.

Naruto who was pinned under his partner chuckled awkwardly. "Good job Nora, you passed my second test." The boy began, causing a sweat drop to roll down Nora's head. "So just give it back so I can properly dispose of it."

"You think I'm gonna believe that?" The girl asked.

"Yeeee-." Naruto began, but stopped as Nora gave him a strong glare. "Mayyy-." Naruto stopped again as Nora's glare grew more intense. "No." The blond finished in a defeated tone.

Nora smiled and patted Naruto's forehead. "Good boy." The girl praised and smiled as Naruto groaned. "But hey you're almost one whole day sober."

"Yay." Naruto cheered unenthusiastically.

Ozpin laughed. "Congratulations Mr. Branwen, sobriety can be a challenge. I recommend coffee to help you along the way."

Naruto and Nora both jerked their heads over to Ozpin, which caused both teens to blush in embarrassment.

"P-professor." Nora stammered out while jumping to her feet. "I didn't notice you there."

Ozpin chuckled. "Well this is my office, though I must say I was only expecting Mr. Branwen. So what bring you here?"

Naruto sighed and stood to his feet. "Well since she's my partner and the Winter Maiden. Nora decided to tag along and see what you wanted. By the way thanks for not telling me about Nora."

Ozpin smiled as he watched Naruto and Nora take two seats across from him. "Her secret wasn't mine to tell, but I'm glad she has placed enough faith in you to share her secret. And I'm glad you trusted her enough to reveal you are working for me."

"Yeah whatever Oz." Naruto grumbled, causing Nora to giggle. "What did you want to talk about anyway?"

Ozpin smirked and leaned over his desk. "You're aware of the four relics?" The older male asked.

Naruto nodded. "Of course."

"Good, cause I'm sending you on a mission to obtain one." Ozpin revealed clear and simple.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, as his interest was slightly peaked. "I thought your little secret organization of headmasters already had all four relics?"

Ozpin sighed and shook his head. "Unfortunately that is not true. Out of the four relics me and my fellow headmasters only have one relic." The headmaster of Beacon explained before lifting his cane into the air. "The Scepter of Choice, one of the four relics used in the creation of humanity."

Nora narrowed her eyes and looked at the cane in Ozpin's hands. "You mean that is one of the four relics? I thought it was just an old crappy cane!"

"Heh, looks can be deceiving Miss. Valkyrie, this relic actually holds more power than you could imagine. However, I'm incapable of even wielding a fraction of its true power." Ozpin revealed to the two young students.

Naruto crossed his arms and looked over the relic. "Tell me what you mean Oz, mom always kept her explanation of the relics very brief. So I have to admit besides the basic origin of the relics I don't know much." The blond admitted.

"Well first you should know each relic is a powerful weapon, one that when wielded to its full capability can unleash unimaginable power. Though not just anyone can pick up a relic and use its power." Ozpin began cryptically.

Nora scrunched her face. "What do you mean Ozpin?"

The headmaster pointed to Nora. "Like how there can only be one Winter Maidan at one time, there can only be one person at a time with the potential to wield one of the four relics. However, the circumstances for these four Relic Wielders is much different from a Maiden. For starters there is no gender requirements or proper way of transferring power. Instead those with the potential to wield a relic all come from powerful bloodlines. Like a certain noble family that had almost died out, or a silver eyed warrior. Though one of my favorite bloodlines has to be the red eyed bloodline of the Branwen family."

"Wait my family?" Naruto asked in surprised. "My drunken lineage has the potential to wield the relics?"

Ozpin chuckled and nodded his head. "Isn't it funny how the world works Mr. Branwen? In fact your lineage has produced some of the most powerful warriors to ever live. That's why Salem and her followers have tried their hardest to eliminate your bloodline. Though I'm curious if your mother talks about the massacre of her family and why she and your Uncle were raised by bandits."

Naruto frowned. "She never talks much about her family. Though maybe next time I see her I'll ask, but tell me Oz. Could I use one of the relics? And if so what difference would it make from me wielding it versus someone like you using one instead?"

"To answer your first question yes you could have the ability to wield a relic. You meet the bloodline requirements, but unfortunately if you could wield a relic it isn't the one in my possession. You see when a relic is near the person who has the potential to wield it, the weapon will glow and be physically drawn to that person. So if you could wield a relic it would be one of the three not in my possession." Ozpin explained in a simple voice. "Now to answer your second question the comparison between a relic weirder and a regular huntsman isn't even close. If I would have to give a comparison, think of the difference in size between a pond and an ocean. A regular huntsman could only use a small taste of the real power a true Relic Wielder could utilize."

Naruto folded his arms and studied the man. "So that's why you've recruited me and Ruby into Beacon. We both fit the requirements of those who could wield a relic."

Ozpin smirked and leaned over his desk. "I have many reasons for allowing you two into my school. However, I cannot lie and say your bloodline isn't one of them. In fact I've recruited many students for their bloodline potential."

Naruto nodded. "I guess I can't blame you, Salem would want me and Ruby both dead. So the training and protection of Beacon is good for the both of us. Though let's move on to the mission. Just where is this relic located?"

Ozpin grabbed his scroll and started to tap the screen and drag a few icons around. He then laid the device on his desk and showed a map of Remnant to Naruto and Nora.

"I have gotten intel from my fellow headmaster at Shade Academy involving one of the relics. Apparently around this area in the north eastern parts of Vacuo there has been a small uprising in one of the Schnee Dust Mines." Ozpin explained in a serious tone. "According to a few accounts the uprising started when one of the workers unearthed a strange weapon out of the mine."

Naruto sighed and looked down. "So this weapon is one of the relics? And let me guess after the uprising the workers have locked the area down and treated every outsider with hostility?"

Ozpin nodded. "Exactly."

"Well answer this, why send me? In fact why won't the headmaster from Shade Academy send one of his own operatives? Why are we the ones handling this mission?" Naruto asked.

Ozpin sighed. "My fellow headmaster did send his own operatives, but none returned alive. So the headmaster came to me hoping I could yield more success."

Nora's eyes filled with worry as she looked to her partner. The more she stayed and listened to the mission the less she liked the idea of allowing her partner to go alone.

"So since your field operatives boil down to me and Uncle Qrow, I guess the old drunk is busy somewhere else. So that leaves me as your only choice to obtain the relic and possibly calm the tensions at the mine." Naruto began in a calm voice. "Seems easy enough."

Ozpin chuckled. "I appreciate your confidence, but you should know the mission is located near her territory. So you should take matters a little more serious."

Naruto looked to the dragon shaped continent above Vacuo and frowned. He was told by his mother a thousand times to avoid this part of the world at all costs. Because somewhere deep within that unknown portion of the world was where Salem was located.

"Trust me Oz I know the dangers involving Salem and her little followers. But if this is a relic we are talking about we have to move quick. Salem is closer to that region than us and she might be planning a move to obtain the relic for herself."

"I couldn't agree more. So I've already prepared a transport ship to take you near the mine. From there you're to obtain the relic at any cost and return to Beacon." Ozpin instructed before giving the blond a hard gaze. "Can I count on you?"

Naruto smirked. "You know it Oz."

The headmaster smiled. "Good now lets-..."

"I'm going too." Nora declared, causing Naruto to scowl and Ozpin to raise his eye in interest. "Sending Naruto alone is too dangerous, he needs support and as his partner I'll be the one to help him."

"Hell no." Naruto replied in an agitated tone. "You're too important as the Winter Maiden to be sent on a mission like this."

Nora puffed out her cheeks. "You don't get a say in this, I'm going and that's final!"

Naruto gritted his teeth and leaned into his partner. "I'm not risking the chance of Salem getting a relic and a Maiden!"

Nora gave her partner a cold icy look. "And I'm not loosing someone else I care about. So we are going as partners, or you won't go at all."

Naruto and Nora both glared each other down and stood their ground. Each teen was angry with each other, but their anger stemmed from their desire to protect each other.

"I believe allowing Nora to tag along is for the best." Ozpin began in a low voice. "Nora's status of a Maiden isn't a well known fact. So with your red eyes you're a bigger target at first glance Naruto. So having an extra and reliable person with you is something I approve of."

"Hah! Ozpin is on my side!" Nora declared victoriously.

"Oz this can't be a good idea." Naruto began, trying to reason with his headmaster. "I'm perfectly capable of handling this mission by myself."

"You might be right Naruto, but my gut is telling me to send Nora with you. So I'm going to listen to my instincts and send you two on the mission to Vacuo." The aged huntsman explained.

Naruto sighed. "Fine me and Nora will obtain the relic for you." The blond declared before looking away. "Even though I think this is a bad idea."

Nora smiled and leaned into her partner. "Hey perk up Naruto. Everything will be okay, because I have complete faith you will keep me safe. Just like I promise to do everything I can to keep you safe."

Hearing Nora's words Naruto smiled and glanced over to his partner. She was precious to him and Naruto would do anything to keep her safe. "Yeah, we will always have each other's backs Nora."

Ozpin smiled at the two children and couldn't help to think of Tai and Raven when they were young. "Well since that is sorted out, Naruto and Nora. Are you two ready for your first mission as real huntsmen?"

The two partners looked to their headmaster and then looked to each other. They then shared a small nod and grinned with pure confidence.

"let's do this shit."

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And that's a wrap and boy did that take awhile lol. Though I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and everything I've included within it. I have included a lot in this chapter and the biggest is obviously the idea of the Relics being weapons that can be used by four Relic Wielders. Its an idea I had and expect other things like this in the future, since I wanna make this story my own and make it differ from the normal RWBY cannon. Since that makes the story more fun and surprising to read. Though expect more stuff on the Relics to be touched on next chapter.

But anyways thanks for reading and leave a review and tell me what you thought!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7. Something Wicked Approaches

Naruto and Nora were currently walking side by side in the courtyard of Beacon. Both teens had travel bags slung on their backs and were dressed for combat. Their destination was a small airship that was docked in the distance. Only a few feet in front of the partners' was Ozpin, who was leading the two teens to their transportation. The walk was relatively quite, as both Naruto and Nora were trying to mentally prepare themselves for the difficult mission ahead.

However, the silence among the group of three didn't last for long. Since one loud and very pissed Yang called out to her sibling.

"There you are!" Yang shouted loudly, causing Naruto, Nora and even Ozpin to look over their shoulders.

Seeing his twin accompanied by her entire team, Naruto casually raised two fingers in the air and saluted the girl's. "Yo." The teen replied lazily.

Weiss who was grinding her teeth, glared at the blond teenager with pure rage. Ruby laughed nervously as she looked between her partner and sibling, while Blake looked rather amused by Weiss's anger.

"You listen here you idiotic, barbaric thief. I have a bone to pick with you." Weiss began in a low voice.

Yang narrowed her eyes and punched her fists together. "And she's not the only one." The girl declared.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and glanced to Ozpin. "Are you gonna take those insults Oz?" The blond asked.

Ozpin laughed. "Always the smartass Mr. Branwen, I'll see you at the ship." The older huntsman replied before walking off.

Nora giggled and leaned into Naruto. "I think Ice Queen and Yang were talking to you." The orange haired girl whispered loudly.

Naruto held a hand to his chest and pretended to be shocked. "But why would they be mad at me, the smartest student who gets nothing besides perfect grades. You know what? I bet they're just jealous since they failed their last assignment."

"I'll kill him!" Weiss yelled in anger, while she tried to run at the laughing red eyed boy. However, Weiss was kept at bay by her partner Ruby. The latter of whom was struggling to hold the enraged girl back. "Release me you dolt!"

"No." Ruby grunted in response, showing how much she was struggling with Weiss. "I really don't want you to hurt my brother!"

Naruto snickered and placed his hands into his pockets. "It's okay Ruby, let Weiss go." The eldest sibling instructed in a calm voice, demonstrating that he wasn't afraid of the white haired teenager. "She doesn't have what it takes to hurt me."

"You wanna bet!" Weiss yelled while she broke Ruby's hold. "I'll show you not to mess with a Schnee!"

Naruto watched Weiss draw her weapon and point the blade at his direction. This caused the blond to scoff and lean his head towards Weiss. Naruto then challenged the girl to attack by pointing to his neck.

"Come get me." Naruto taunted in a excited tone.

Weiss released a loud cry of anger and charged at Naruto. She then pointed her blade right at Naruto's neck and trusted her arm forward.

Ruby tightened her body and closed her eyes shut. Blake along with Yang watched the scene with surprise, neither thinking their teammate would actually attack Naruto. Finally Nora merely shook her head and sighed, as the orange haired girl knew how this would end.

Naruto couldn't help himself from chuckling as instead of striking him with her sword. Weiss thrusted her blade beside Naruto's head, only leaving a small gap between his head and her weapon.

"What's so funny!" Weiss yelled in anger. "I could have killed you just now!"

Naruto shook his head and walked slightly forward. "Please you've never taken another life before, you're a spoiled brat who knows nothing about killing. One look in your eyes and I knew you wouldn't do anything."

"Why you-..." Weiss began, but she stopped speaking once a sharp and cold blade pressed against her throat.

"Tell me Weiss." Naruto began in a sickly sweet voice, his crimson eyes burning bright red. "When you look into my eyes what do you think I will do?"

Weiss trembled and lowered her weapon to her side, she was trying to just intimidate Naruto. However, instead the tables were turned and Weiss learned how terrifying her partner's brother could be.

Naruto laughed and removed his weapon from Weiss's neck. He then placed his blade back in its sheath and walked over to Ruby. An action that made the speechless Weiss sigh in relief.

"Well kiddo." Naruto began in a happy voice, while he ruffled Ruby's hair. "Me and Nora are taking off for a top secret mission."

Ruby's face shifted into a small pout. "What? No fair, I wanna go on a cool huntsman mission too! Take me with you pretty please!" The girl begged, as she started to give her brother a sad puppy dog look.

Naruto rolled his eyes and poked Ruby's forehead. "Sorry Ruby, but the puppy dog look won't work on me."

"Awww." Ruby whined while slumping over.

Yang arched her eyebrow and walked over to her twin. "You got a mission already? We are just freshmen at the academy."

Nora giggled nervously and wrapped herself over Naruto's shoulder. She then started to wave her hand up and down at the girl's. "It's not really a mission. Ozpin just wants us to head to Shade Academy and deliver some documents for the approaching festival." The Winter Maiden lied not so smoothly, considering their mission was suppose to be a secret for a reason.

"Hehe, come on Nora. I gotta make it sound cool in front of my little sis." Naruto grumbled, as he instantly started to add into his partner's lie without skipping a beat.

Yang rolled her eyes and punched her twin's arm. "Should have known that's what you'd do, try to act all cool in front of everyone."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Yup that's what I was doing!"

Yang sighed and brought her brother into a hug. "We'll be safe Naruto."

Naruto smiled and accepted his sister's embrace. "So we're square now?" The blond asked.

Yang snorted while holding her brother. "Tch, as if. It's all out sibling warfare when you get back."

Naruto grinned and backed away. "Yeah I figured you would say that."

Nora grinned and started to pull Naruto away. "Well that's great, but we are on a timetable Naruto."

"Oh you're right Nora! Well sisters, ladies and Ice Queen." Naruto began with a small chuckle. "See yah later."

"See yah big bro!" Ruby yelled while waving goodbye to her sibling.

Yang smirked. "You two love birds keep it G-rated on your mission." The younger twin teased.

Naruto rolled his eyes while Nora's face turned a deep shade of red. Though instead of indulging his sister, Naruto decided to walk off with Nora following close behind.

Blake watched the two leave and slowly walked to her partner before frowning. "It's strange." The Faunus began in a low voice. "Why did Nora and Naruto get selected for this so called mission? And why is Jaune and Pyrrha not with them?"

Yang folded her arms. "You ask some good questions Blake, but I don't have answers."

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(With Raven)

Sighing to herself, the mother of Naruto and Yang stood outside of a house she never dreamed of seeing again. As she gazed at the small family cottage, she gently removed the mask concealing her face. This allowed her facial features to be clearly visible.

"Why am I doing this again?" Raven asked herself in a low voice.

The scarlet eyed woman pulled a small locket out of her clothing and opened the piece of jewelry. A small smile gracing her lips as she looked at an old photograph of her and a younger Naruto.

"That's right." The prideful mother mumbled softly.

Placing the locket away and taking a deep breath to gather herself, Raven took a few small steps towards her old home. The one which housed the father of her children, Tai Xiao Long. As Raven came to the door of the house, she blushed and raised an arm into the air. Though the mother of two quickly brought her closed fist down and started to pound on the wooden door.

"Hurry up and let me in moron!" The stern voice of Raven demanded.

Sounds of crashing and fumbling could be heard within the house, which were accompanied by the happy barking of a dog. Raven then watched as the door was practically ripped open to reveal a completely stunned and shocked Tai.

"Ra-Raven?" The blond stammered in confusion.

"Wh-who else would it be." The female mocked in response, before pushing past Tai and walking into the house.

"Woof!" The happy voice of Zwei barked while wagging his tail.

"I see you still have the mutt." Raven pointed out before disappearing into the kitchen.

Tai slowly closed the door to his home and tightened his fists. The blond male then stomped his way into the kitchen, where he could find Raven digging through several cabinets.

"What are you doing?" Tai asked in an anger filled tone.

Raven paid little attention to Tai and continued her search. "Isn't it obvious? I'm trying to find where you keep the alcohol in this place."

"No you hot headed drunk, what are you doing at my house? It's been fifteen years since I last saw you and you just show up out of the blue!" Tai yelled while glaring a hole through the back of Raven's head.

Raven sighed and started to massage her forehead. "Can you at least let me get drunk before we have this conversation?"

Tai folded his arms. "There is no alcohol here, hasn't been any since you got pregnant with the twins. You would know that if you didn't walk out on us!"

Raven gritted her teeth and turned around, she then stalked over to the man she loved and pointed at him. "Listen here you pun loving sack of shit. You know why I left! It was to keep you and our daughter safe from me and Naruto!"

Tai laughed and stood his ground. "Please you were just running away from your problems. You weren't afraid of your semblance, you were afraid of watching Salem kill more people you loved. So you used the Branwen Curse as an excuse to runaway and hide like the scared pathetic woman you are."

Raven snarled at the man. "You have some nerve." The woman began while pressing her chest against Tai and pushing him back. "Everything I've done is to keep those I love safe!"

"Is that why Yang doesn't even know the bitchy sound of her mother's voice? Because you love her so much you can't be around her?" Tai yelled while pushing Raven back.

"Watch yourself Xiao Long, you remember what happened last time you pissed me off." The female began in a low voice.

Tai nodded with his eyes wide. "Yeah, you got pregnant!"

Raven's face turned as red as her eyes. "You jackass." She growled in a low voice before pulling out her scroll. "Look this arguing is getting us nowhere, so just look at this."

Tai swiped the scroll from Raven and scowled. "What do you want me to look at?"

Raven groaned. "The reason I drink, or to be more precise your son. You see he has started working for Ozpin, and Naruto decided to send me details of the first mission he is undergoing for the man. I bet the little bastard sent me the details just to piss me off!"

Tai's eyes grew wide as he read the message from Naruto. "He's going after one of the Relics?"

Raven nodded. "And don't forget he's headed dangerously close to her territory."

Tai groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dear Oum, why do our children have to take after us?" The father of twins asked before taking a deep breath. "Okay why show me this? I obviously don't approve of this one bit. I just got my son back and I don't want to lose him."

"Well knowing my son, and trust me I do. There is only one thing we can do." Raven began in a low voice, while her eyes drifted to the giant axe hanging on the wall. "I don't like it, but for my children I will do anything."

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(With Naruto and Nora on the airship)

Naruto was reclining back and resting on a small bench within the ship. He seemed careless about the mission that was ahead of them. Nora on the other hand was nervously playing with her thumbs and looking out of the airship's window.

"Hey Naruto." Nora began in a soft voice, earning the blond's full attention. "Are you nervous about this mission?"

"Nah." The blond replied calmly, while he kept his eyes closed. "Mom used to send me on missions for the tribe all the time. So you can say this isn't my first time in the field."

"But this is different." Nora began in a worried tone. "So much is on the line. We have a Relic to obtain and we also have to worry about running into Salem."

Naruto snorted and waved a hand around in the air. "Don't worry about that bitch, from what mom said Salem doesn't do her own dirty work. Worse case scenario we end up running into one of her followers."

"And they are just as dangerous." Nora pointed out.

Naruto moved up slightly and gave his partner a cocky smirk. "Between me and you, we have a highly trained warrior skilled in many forms of combat. And a Maiden who can hold her own without her powers. I think the two of us can handle just about anything."

Nora smiled and folded her hands over her lap. "If only I could share your confidence."

Naruto stood to his feet and walked over to Nora, the blond then placed a hand onto his partner. "Don't worry about anything Nora, Branwen's are good at two things. Getting drunk and keeping their word, and I promise I won't let anything bad happen on this mission. Even if it means giving up the Relic I will do anything to keep you safe."

Blushing a deep shade of red, Nora allowed a large smile to grace her face. "You're the best Naruto."

Naruto grinned and released a light chuckle. The blond then leaned over Nora and looked into the cockpit. "Hey when will we arrive at the drop off point?"

"Five minutes sir." The pilot answered.

"That's should be close enough." Naruto chuckled as he assembled Kitsune into it's katana form and held the blade at his side. "Land at the landing zone and wait for us to return."

"Ummm, yes sir?" The pilot replied.

Nora raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Naruto what are you-.." Nora took a pause, as she watched Naruto swipe the air with his sword and create a portal. "Doing…."

Naruto grinned and looked to his partner. "My family has several techniques that have been past down through the years. What you just saw me do was create a portal to our drop off point. The only issues with this technique is that I need dust to use it and I can't travel too far, unlike my mother who has mastered the ability. Tch cocky old bitch."

"That's amazing." Nora admitted.

Naruto nodded and motioned for Nora to enter the portal. "Well are you ready to go?"

Nora grabbed her belongings and smiled wide. "Let's go!" The girl cheered, before she took a giant leap into the portal.

Naruto chuckled and followed Nora's lead, causing Naruto to pop out of the portal and notice his new surroundings. Currently the two partners were side by side and overlooking a large town in the middle of the desert. The town itself was large in area size, but the buildings were quite small. Since most of the structures only appeared to be one or two stories, which was nothing like the large cities of Vale.

"So what are we doing here?" Nora asked, while she brought a hand to her eyes to shield herself from the sun.

Naruto placed his weapon away and began to walk. "First lesson my mother taught me about being a successful huntsman. And that is always obtain local information before heading into an unknown situation." The blond explained, while Nora started to follow behind.

"Okay, we are looking for information then!" The girl summarized.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "More or less. If we get a good understanding of the situation at the dust mine, it will make our mission go much smoother."

Naruto and Nora slowly made their way into the town and began to walk through the crowded streets. Everywhere they looked there was shady figures, Faunus and con artists working the street. The whole vibe of the area made Nora uncomfortable, so she instinctively leaned into Naruto for support. Though the young Branwen who was raised around bandits and thieves felt right at home.

"Man this place is awesome!" Naruto began in a happy voice. "Fresh air, friendly people and I've already noticed six different bars."

Nora sighed and looked down. "You would like this place."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and laughed. "And you don't?" The blond asked.

Nora grinned and poked her partner on the nose. "Nope." The girl replied with an innocent laugh.

Naruto grinned. "Fair enough, forgot not everyone was raised around criminals. Though I think I've found a perfect place to get some information!" The blond declared before taking the lead down the street.

Nora watched her partner approach a building and frowned. "A casino?" The Maiden mumbled before following her partner inside.

Naruto grinned and looked around the gambling hall. "Yup! Besides taverns, a casino is the best place to get information."

Nora narrowed her eyes and watched her partner appach a blackjack table. "How?"

Naruto placed some Lien onto the table and tapped his fingers to be dealt in. "deal me in." The blond ordered, causing the dealer to lay two cards out. The blond then looked over to his partner and grinned. "Well casino owners normally have a large network of information. So we just need to speak to the owner."

Nora glanced over the table, there was two other players and the Winter Maiden was confused. "Okay how do we speak to the owner then?"

Naruto chuckled. "Just watch."

"Is everyone ready to reveal their cards?" The dealer asked, causing everyone save Naruto to peek at their cards. In fact, the young Branwen was looking in the complete opposite direction. He seemed bored with the card game he was participating in and that earned the dealers attention. "Kid do you even want to look at your cards?"

Naruto glanced to the man and shrugged his shoulders. "What's the point? I've already won."

One of the gamblers snorted. "Cocky kid, read it and weap. I got nineteen right here!" The man declared before showing his cards.

Another man scoffed. "Nice hand, too bad I've got twenty!"

"Awww shit!" The first man cursed.

"Wow." Naruto began in an uninterested tone, before he flipped his cards over without even looking at them. "Twenty one."

Everyone's eyes grew with and their mouths dropped open, well everyone except Nora. Instead the Winter Maiden sighed and brought a hand up to massage her forehead.

'He's using his semblance to gamble, why am I not surprised?' The orange haired girl thought to herself.

"What no way!" One of the gamblers shouted. "Beginners luck!"

Naruto placed his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand. "Well how about we play another hand then."

"What are you doing?" Nora asked in an exhausted voice. "We have more important things to do than scam some idiots."

"Hey kid shut your bitch up." One of the angry gamblers insulted.

"Yeah learn you place girl." The other man growled.

Naruto gritted his teeth at the two men's insults, but his anger was quickly turned into laughter when Nora leaned over his back and pointed at the men.

"Take all they got! I want their Lein, their clothes, their house, hell I'll even take their first born child!" The Winter Maiden yelled in a rage filled tone.

Naruto chuckled. "The woman has spoken, so let's play."

The dealer nodded and began to deal the next hand, which lead into the most shocking winning streak anyone present had seen. No matter if it was with two cards or eight cards, every time Naruto revealed his hand he had twenty one. Which was even more unbelievable since the blond never once looked at his cards. Though his impressive winning streak did lure in a small crowd of spectators.

"Well sir." The dealer began, while he looked down to the six cards laying in front of Naruto. "Would you like anymore cards?"

Naruto who was looking around the casino snapped his attention back to the game. "Hmmm let's see how many cards do I have?" The blond asked himself, as he began to count his cards.

The other two players watched Naruto with trembling hands and sweat pouring down their faces. Both were running dangerously close to being broke, as to Nora's request Naruto was taking them for all they had.

"Nah I'm good." Naruto declared in a happy tone.

The two men sighed and revealed their hands, both having eight and eleven respectively. Truly by their attitude and how low their hands were, they both already expected to lose.

"And look what I got." Naruto began in a cheeky voice. "Twenty o-... oh hey what's the matter buddy?" Naruto asked, while he looked up to the man dressed in black who was holding him up by his cloak.

"The boss wants to have some words with you." The man answered, before looking over to Nora. "You too girly."

"Okay, let me just grab our winnings." Nora began as she reached over for the Lien on the table.

"Don't even think about it cheaters. That money belongs to the house now." The large man who was holding Naruto informed before grabbing Nora.

"Hey! We are not cheaters!" Nora whined and she was dragged off.

Naruto grinned. "It's fine Nora, everything is going according to plan!"

Nora's face shifted into a pout. "But all my Lein!"

Naruto rolled his eyes as they made their way to a doorway in the back off the casino. "I'll win you some Lein another time." The blond promised before the thug opened the door and pushed Naruto and Nora inside.

"Well what do we have here?" An angered voice asked from within the room.

Looking towards the voice, Naruto noticed a man behind a desk that was covered in stacks of Lein. The man was also flanked by two armed guards dressed in suits, so it was safe to assume this man was the boss of the casino.

"Names Naruto Branwen." The blond haired teenager introduced. "Nice to meet you."

The owner scoffed and leaned over his desk. "Well brat, you've got some nerve to cheat in my casino." The man declared, while his goons stepped slightly forward. "Most cheaters around here have unfortunate accidents. Though maybe we can make an arrangement with that pretty lady of yours. She could make for some good company."

Nora felt sickened by the man's tone and sleazy grin. So she moved behind Naruto and grabbed onto his cloak for security. Naruto felt his partner's grip and balled his fists. The young blond planned to talk things out peacefully, but the casino owner made one critical mistake. He upset Nora, and that's something Naruto wouldn't stand for.

"Hey Nora." Naruto began in a low voice, his hands already reaching behind his back. "I want you to let go, close your eyes and then count to three."

Nora didn't want to let go of her partner, but she trusted him enough to obey without question. So as she released her hold and closed her eyes, Nora began to count.

"One." Nora mumbled, as she heard the sounds of blades being unsheathed.

"Two." Nora continued and flinched as she heard the sound of gunshots. Which were shortly followed by the sounds of screaming.

"Three." Nora finished before she opened her eyes and gasped. All the goons' in the room were lying on the ground bleeding, and Nora didn't know if they were dead or alive. Though her partner stood beside the casino owner with his katana held to the man's neck.

"Listen here you sack of shit." Naruto began in a deathly serious voice, his eyes burning a deep shade of red. "I'm here for information and I decided to go about this the fun way. I could have just marched in and used force to get what I wanted, but I decided to be civil. However, you decided to make distasteful suggestions towards my partner. So now I'm doing this the way my mother taught me."

"Please don't kill me." The man cried in a pathetic tone.

Naruto grinned. "I don't know, tell me what you know and you might not meet an unfortunate accident." The blond replied, as he recited the man's previous threat. "See there is this dust mine three miles outside of this town. I want you to tell me everything you know about it."

"Uh, uh." The man began causing Naruto to press his blade into the man's skin. Since the blond was running low on patience.

"Talk faster." The blond ordered, as he slightly drew blood on the man.

"The mine is comprised of forty nine workers'. They are all Faunus, and they have recently overtaken the mine from their employer. Currently there is a rumor that the White Fang is involved with the uprising at the mine, but nothing is certain. All anyone knows is that the miners have overtaken the mine and attacked all outsiders. Especially anyone who isn't a Faunus." The man then took a deep breath after speaking. "Is that good enough."

Naruto glared at the man and raised his sword high in the air. He then spun the weapon around in his hand, that way the blade was pointing downwards. "Not really." The blond replied.

Pushing his weapon downward, Naruto's blade stopped only a few inches from the man's face. However, it wasn't Naruto who held himself from striking the man. No instead it was Nora, who was holding onto the blond's arm with her hands.

"That's enough." Nora began in a low sad voice, as she didn't want to see her partner take a life. "He's not worth it."

Naruto tightened his grip on Kitsune and glared at the squirming man. "He's trash, a worthless human being who wouldn't show either of us mercy if the roles were reversed."

Nora leaned into her partner and hugged him from behind. "Well lucky for him we are better than that." The girl declared in a soft voice.

"You're lucky." Naruto began, while he relaxed and looked over the man. "Contrary to what my partner says, it's not beneath me to kill you. However, she's able to bring out the person I'm not." Turning around Naruto grinned at his partner. "She's the best."

Nora smiled and poked her partner's nose. "Boop." The girl replied lovingly.

Naruto grabbed some Lein off the desk and placed an arm around Nora. "Well we got some information and I got you some Lein. So let's go check out this mine." The blond purposed.

Nora grinned. "Yeah, let's go partner."

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(20 miles from Naruto and Nora's location)

Walking slowly in the desert of Vacuo, a single woman dressed in black was slowly heading towards her destination. Her skin was completely pale and she had strange red and purple veins running all over her entire body. The woman also possessed a strange black diamond marking between her eyes and white hair. The latter of which was tied into a bun with six offshoots. Though by far her most defining feature was her piercing red eyes.

"Hmm what is this?" The woman began in an amused voice, as she stopped walking and appeared to focus out into the distance. "Not only do I sense a relic, but now a Relic Wielder and a Maiden. Oh this is my lucky day."

Grinning to herself, the woman continued on her path towards the relic. Where she would without a doubt run into Naruto and Nora. While neither teen was even remotely aware that Salem was coming for them both.

Chapter End!

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And here is the next chapter, it's a little short for my tastes and not a lot has happened. But I want to extend this arc out a little bit. Since this will be the big finale of volume one. So this is the build up for the big conflict that's going to happen and after this a lot will change in the story. Especially things involving Naruto, Raven and Tai…

Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful day!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8. The Sin of Greed

(With Team RWBY)

Walking together down a slightly busy street, the four girls planned to head to the docks. Where a ship from Vacuo was supposed to be arriving with a few students. Though not all the girls were happy with this plan. Well to be more precise that person was Naruto's twin sister Yang.

"So why are we doing this?" Yang finally asked the group of girls. "Don't we have better things to do?"

Weiss, who was leading the group of females scoffed. "Can't you act a little excited? We are getting the opportunity to meet students from other academy's."

Blake leaned over Yang's shoulder. "And that translates to Weiss wanting to scout the competition for the festival."

"I would do no such thing. . . intentionally." Weiss retorted.

Yang rolled her eyes. "If you wanna look at the serious competition, Phyrra is back at Beacon and my brother is probably in Vacuo by now."

Ruby giggled at her sister's true, but cheeky statement.

Weiss folded her arms. "I've already seen plenty of those two. I need to observe other students."

Blake smirked. "And that means she knows none of us stand a chance against those two. So she's hoping to at least get a leg up on any other students."

"Believe what you must." Weiss replied in an annoyed tone.

Ruby smiled and wrapped an arm around her partner. "Awww cheer up Weiss, I wouldn't want to fight my brother or his team either. I mean Naruto and Phyrra are crazy strong, Nora's just crazy and Jaune. Well they have Jaune too!"

"Yeah whatever." Weiss mumbled, while at the same time shrugging Ruby off of her.

Ruby smiled and looked over to her older sister. "You know, speaking of Naruto I wonder how things are going!"

Yang snorted. "Knowing my twin he's probably trying to sneak a drink or two in. While Nora's probably bouncing around the halls of Shade Academy."

Blake smirked. "That does sound like them."

Weiss nodded, but before she could make a comment something caught her eye. "What's all the commotion over there?"

Yang looked down the street and squinted her eyes. "Looks like a crime scene."

Ruby frowned. "You don't think it was that Torchwick guy I ran into awhile back?"

Yang shrugged her shoulders. "Only one way to find out." The girl declared, while she walked over to investigate the scene with her team.

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(With Jaune and Pyrrha)

"Good form Jaune." Pyrrha complemented before the girl parried one of her partner's attacks. "But remember to keep your front foot forward and your shield up."

Jaune nodded and made the quick adjustments to his fighting stance. "Gotcha Pyrrha!"

The redhead smiled and lowered her weapons. "Let's take a break Jaune, no need to over exert yourself."

Raising his arm, Jaune used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Yeah I could use a minute or two, but I have to keep going. I need to get stronger."

Pyrrha smiled and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "I know it's frustrating to work so hard and only feel like you're making little to no progress. But you're improving at a great pace Jaune and I'm proud of you. So let's go hunt down our team and relax for the day."

Jaune smiled at Pyrrha's idea and nodded in agreement. "That sounds good, though speaking of Naruto and Nora. Have you seen either of them today?"

The redhead warrior placed a finger to her temple and tried to recollect her thoughts. "Now that you mention it I haven't seen them in awhile. Maybe we should ask around the academy and see if anyone has seen them?"

"It shouldn't be too hard to find them." Jaune replied in a casual tone. "I mean how hard could it be to find a hyperactive teenager and her alcoholic partner?"

Pyrrha giggled and started to walk off. "I don't know, but Naruto and Nora are both full of surprises. So you never know with those two."

Jaune followed after his partner and sighed. "I guess you have a point."

Pyrrha smiled and slightly nudged her partner. "But hey if we can't find them, that just means we have a day to ourselves. And I'm sure wherever Nora and Naruto are, they're keeping each other out of trouble."

Jaune snorted. "I doubt that last part."

Pyrrha took a deep breath and leaned over. "Yeah, me too."

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(With Naruto and Nora)

Laying on top of a sand dune in a prone position, Naruto was glancing down at the mine with a pair of binoculars. Nora was at his side and was eagerly awaiting his assessment of their situation.

"This is interesting." The blond teenager began.

Nora raised her eyebrow and leaned into her partner. "What do you see?"

Naruto handed the binoculars over to Nora. "Here take a look." The red eyed teen instructed, before he directed Nora where to look with his finger. "Look right over there and tell me what you see."

Nora focused in on the mine below and looked confused. "People moving carts, carrying pickaxes and other mineworker related activities. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Naruto shook his head and pointed over to a small building. "Look over there, standing on that crate."

Nora scanned the area for a moment before finding the person Naruto was talking about. "A man in a mask?" The orange haired girl replied.

"Not just any guy in a mask, that's a White Fang mask." Naruto corrected. "It seems our previous intel was good, the White Fang is involved. But this opens a whole new line of questions."

Nora looked away from the mine and to her partner. "Like what exactly?"

"Well this mine is owned by the Schnee Dust Company. Now the Schnee Dust Company is widely known for their use of cheap labor and poor mistreatment of Faunus. So normally the White Fang will attack mines like these, steal all their dust and then destroys the mine. However, as you can see that's not the case here."

Nora glanced back down to the mine with the binoculars. Doing so it allowed the girl to notice even more members of the White Fang. "There is a lot of White Fang down there, but they are not working the mine. It's almost like they are overseeing the workers."

Naruto nodded. "It appears the White Fang have changed their gameplan. They have taken this mine over and they are squeezing out all of its resources. Which makes me come to the conclusion that the White Fang have an increasing need of dust."

"Hey didn't you say your mom mentioned something about the White Fang getting involved with Salem? Could they be collecting all this dust to help her attack Beacon?" Nora asked.

Naruto frowned. "It was just a rumor that my mom heard, but it could be true. Which if that's the case we need to place a stop to the Fang and find the relic while we are here."

Nora nodded and stood to her feet. "So let's do this!"

Naruto held his hand up. "Hold on, one thing still bothers me." The blond began in a low voice. "Like you said the White Fang are overseeing the workers, so here is the million Lien question. Are the workers being forced to help the White Fang? Or are they helping on their own free will?"

Nora's face lit up at the questions. "You mean all those workers might need our help!"

Naruto stood up and scoffed at his partner's words. "No I was just thinking we may have to fight the workers too."

Nora deflated and sighed, she forgot her partner's golden rule involving never helping the weak. "We could at least try to help them if they need it."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Well I do plan to take out those White Fang members and interrogate their leader. I gotta confirm if they are working with Salem. So I guess if they do need help they will get it."

Nora took a deep breath and grabbed her weapon. "I guess that will do, so what's the plan partner?"

Naruto folded his arms and placed a hand onto his chin. "Hmmm, how about you create a large diversion with your weapon from here. Then I will portal us behind the enemy and we will get them by surprise."

Nora shifted Magnhild into its grenade launcher form and grinned like a madwoman. "One large and very destructive distraction coming up!" The girl declared before unleashing a hail of grenades down onto the mine.

Naruto smiled as he watched Nora rain down fire on the mine. Causing the workers and the White Fang members to scrambled in a confused panic.

"Well let's get started Nora!" Naruto yelled as he assembled Kitsune into its katana form and created a portal.

"Yeah!" The Winter Maiden cheered before sprinting into the portal.

Naruto shook his head and released a small laugh. "She better be careful." The blond mumbled before walking into the portal.

Coming out on the other side, Naruto and Nora stood behind dozens of White Fang members. All of whom were trying to locate where their attackers were located. Unfortunately for the Faunus extremists, they were looking in the wrong direction.

"Hey Nora." Naruto spoke in a low voice, while he pointed to the White Fang members. "Smash."

Nora grinned and leaned over slightly, her hands firmly gripping onto Magnhild. "Gladly." The girl replied before sprinting towards the unsuspecting White Fang members.

"Ahhhh!" Nora shouted loudly, while the girl took a large swing at a few grouped up White Fang members.

Turning around the unsuspecting Faunus' screamed in surprise and tried to avoid Nora. However, it was too late to do anything as the young Winter Maiden swung her hammer with an impressive display of strength. Then be using all her might, Nora sent a group of six White Fang members flying.

Watching the White Fang members fly off, Nora placed her hammer head into the sand and shielded her eyes with a free hand. "Man they are really getting some distance!" The orange haired girl giggled to herself. Though the clicking of a gun caused her to freeze.

"Heh, end of the line girly." A White Fang member snarled, while he pointed his gun to Nora's head from behind.

However, before the Faunus could even blink a sword sliced the barrel of his gun like butter.

"I don't think so." The cold voice of Naruto spoke up.

The White Fang member gasped and tried to back away, but Naruto simply elbowed the man in the mask. Shattering his mask and leaving the man dazed and confused, which gave Naruto a clear opening to finish the man off with a clean sword strike to the chest.

Nora watched the man fall over unconscious and chuckled nervously. "Thanks for the save partner."

Naruto glanced to Nora and gave her a small smile. "Anytime Nora, but try to keep on your toes."

Nora saluted the blond swordsman and giggled. "Can do!"

Naruto smirked as he noticed a large group of White Fang rushing his position. He then looked over his shoulder and noticed the workers cowering in fear. This lead Naruto to assume that the workers were not hostile.

"Alright Nora follow my lead. We are gonna hit these bastards fast and hard." Naruto informed in a low voice, while he separated Kitsune into two separate blades. "So let's try that one thing we talked about."

Nora grinned and gripped the handle of her weapon. "Team attack?" The girl asked.

Naruto chuckled and nodded. "Team attack."

With that being said, Naruto and Nora both sprinted after the remaining White Fang forces. However, once they were within a ten foot distance from their opponents Naruto jumped into the air. Nora then pulled her hammer back and prepared to swing her weapon, while Naruto pointed his feet towards Nora.

 **"Fox Cyclone!"** The two partners shouted together, followed by Nora swinging her hammer into Naruto's feet. Then with a combination of Nora's swing and Naruto pushing off Magnhild with his feet, the blond was sent rocketing forward.

"Oh shit." One of the White Fang members screamed as he watched Naruto come his way.

"Everyone look out!" A female Faunus shouted in fear.

Naruto grinned and held his two blades out and started to spin in mid air. Turning himself into a human sized twister.

Many of the White Fang members stumbled and started to run in the opposite direction. Though this was a fruitless effort, as Naruto barreled through every single person and sent them flying.

"Too easy." Naruto scoffed after he came to a sliding stop a few feet away for the defeated White Fang members.

Nora smiled and walked over to her partner. "Good job Naruto, but are we sold on that whole **Fox Cyclone** name?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Well a fox is my symbol, so I like it." The boy replied. "What you have something better?"

"I was thinking about **The Valkyrie Strike** or maybe **Hammer Blast!** " Nora admitted.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "Nah, I would settle for **The Branwen** **Strike** that's it"

Nora puffed her cheeks out and pointed at her partner. "You just wanna name it after yourself!"

"You're one to talk!" The blond replied loudly.

"Are you two serous! We are still fighting over here!" One of the recovering White Fang members shouted, while the extremist slowly struggled to stand on his feet.

Nora pointed her grenade launcher at the White Fang member and fired it without looking. Then as a loud explosion went off she huffed. "Fine, but I'm naming our next team attack!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and looked to the side. "Fine." The blond grumbled. "Though we should get moving."

Nora nodded and turned around, her eyes growing wide as she saw all the mine workers standing around them. "Um hey?" The girl greeted awkwardly.

"Thank you!" The collective workers thanked while taking a bow of respect.

The two partners exchanged a look amongst each other. Then by rubbing the back of their heads they looked to the workers with awkward chuckles.

"You're welcome?" Naruto replied.

One of the miners, an older looking male Faunus with wolf ears stepped forward. "Those White Fang bastards have been holding us here for weeks. They've been forcing to work non stop against our will without any end in sight."

Naruto folded his arms. "Why does the White Fang need dust that bad?"

The man shook his head. "They are not after the dust, it's just a bonus for their operation. They are after the sword in the mine."

"A sword?" Nora mumbled in surprise.

"A relic possibly." Naruto added in a low whisper, before the blond looked to the group of workers. "Explain yourself, what importance does this sword have to the White Fang!"

The wolf Faunus held his hands up. "I have no clue, but they were really focused on obtaining it. However, the sword is encased in an unbreakable mineral and no one has been able to pull it out. So these bastards have been forcing us to excavate it."

Naruto rubbed his chin and turned to Nora. "What do you think of what he says Nora?"

Nora frowned and thought to herself. "Well if the White Fang is aligned with Salem they would definitely be after this sword because it's a relic. I say we check it out, it's what we came here for in the first place."

Naruto nodded and looked to the Faunus. "Beside the ones we defeated, how many more White Fang members are there?"

"Just the one who was in charge!" The man replied in a desperate voice. "He's deep in the mine overseeing the other miners and the sword!"

Naruto nodded and looked at Nora. "I'm going into the mine. I want you to stay here and keep an eye out for any reinforcements. I don't want to be caught off guard."

"No way!" Nora replied stubbornly while planting her foot into the ground. "It could be a trap! I'm not gonna let you go alone and get hurt!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and poked Nora's forehead. "I'll be fine Nora, but I need you to stay behind. Someone has to make sure no White Fang assholes set an ambush for us while we are in the mine. So that's why you need to stay here and keep everything under control. Can you do that for me?"

Nora looked up to her partner with a scowl on her face, but after a moment she sighed and looked down. "Fine." The girl mumbled before looking back and poking her partner on the chest. "But you better be careful buster!"

Naruto grinned wide at his partner. "Don't worry Nora I'll be back, I made a promise to you after all. No matter where I go, I will always come back to you."

Nora looked down and blushed. "Yeah you better." The girl mumbled softly.

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(Two miles from the mine)

Slowly trekking through the sand at a steady pace, Salem eagerly licked her lips in excitement.

"I sense two great powers not far from here. One much larger than your average human a hundred times over, obviously the power of a Seasonal Maiden." Salem began to herself before taking a pause. "Hmmm and the second one is obviously a Relic Wielder, but this individual's power is increasing at an exponential rate. Which means the relic I am here for belongs to that individual."

A low feral growl made itself known from behind Salem. This caused the white skinned woman to look over her shoulder to the massive Grimm horde following her.

"This will be quite interesting. To kill a Maiden and a Relic Wielder who has their weapon in the same day. It must be my lucky day."

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(Inside the mine with Naruto)

With his weapon Kitsune assembled into its kanata form, Naruto kept the blade by his hip while sneaking deep into the mine. Taking each step forward slowly, the young blond moved without the slightest sound being made. While he moved his crimson eyes easily adjusted to the dimly lit surroundings of the mine shaft, considering he had done hundreds of night missions for his mother. So navigating through the darkness was a trivial challenge for Naruto.

As he inched further into the mine, the young Branwen recognized sounds of pickaxes striking rock. Signaling that Naruto was growing closer to the remaining workers, White Fang member and most importantly the relic.

"If what that man said was true, fighting one White Fang member should be easy. However, if this sword is a relic. The real challenge will be pulling the sword from the stone that holds it." Naruto spoke to himself in a low whisper. "I guess worse come to worse I can send Nora down here and she can blow the thing free."

With that being said Naruto came to an opening in the mineshaft. This opening lead into a large cavern where Naruto could spot over a dozen workers striking a large red stone.

"The unbreakable mineral the Faunus spoke of?" Naruto mused to himself, while his eyes glanced up to notice a strange sword with its blade buried into the stone. "Yeah that confirms it, but what is this?"

Naruto along with the miners who had stopped working, watched the sword glow a brilliant white light in awe. The light then quickly faded before glowing once more and repeating the process over and over.

"What in the hell is going on? And why are you worthless shits just standing around!" A loud a angry voice shouted.

Naruto looked to the voice and noticed a large male cheetah Faunus. The half man half beast had the standard White Fang captain mask, showing he was a higher rank than the grunts Naruto and Nora defeated. The man was also firmly grasping a weapon that looked like a large construction drill fashioned into a type of sword.

"Well, let's get this over with." Naruto spoke to himself before he began to sneak further into the open cavern. "I have a Relic to take after all."

 **"Such a greedy human you are."** A loud voice mocked in a condescending tone, causing Naruto to scan the area. **"All you do is steal and bring misfortune to those around you. You're a weak human who wants everything from money, power to even the love of those you hold dear. You want these things not because you need them, but your own greed demands you must have them!"**

The "Who is there!" Naruto demanded to know, as he slightly raised his voice.

 **"Not only were you raised to be a thief, but you were born as one. After all your semblance steals the luck from others around you. That's all you do is take, take and take!"**

"Fuck you coward, quit hiding and show yourself!" Naruto shouted in absolute rage.

Looking around with a scowl on his face, Naruto desperately searched for the voice that was speaking to him. However, the young Branwen couldn't find anyone. Though during his search Naruto did notice one thing, all the mine workers were looking at him. Which meant one thing, he had given away his own position.

"Shit." The blond cursed to himself.

"And just who the hell are you!" The White Fang captain snarled, while he appeared behind Naruto. His weapon already raised high in the air and ready to strike.

'Fast.' Naruto thought in surprise before he turned around and brought his sword up to guard the attacking Faunus. "Who am I?" The blond asked, while he struggled to hold the man at bay. "I'm they guy that's gonna kick your ass!"

The captain growled in a low voice and made his drill spin. Though before he could do anything, Naruto raised his right leg and kicked the man in the ribs. Causing the Faunus to go flying back and land into a pile of rubble.

Snapping his attention to the workers who were all standing in a stunned trance, a vein popped in Naruto's head. "Well don't just stand around! Get the hell out of here, all the other White Fang members are beaten!"

With Naruto's orders and the confirmation that they were safe, all the workers rushed towards the exit of the mine. Making sure to avoid Naruto and the fight that he was starting with the White Fang captain.

"Kid I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you're gonna regret interfering with the White Fang's affairs." The captain declared, before he slowly dug himself up out of the rubble.

Naruto scoffed and rested a hand on his hip, while his katana was kept lazily by his side. "And just why is the White Fang here collecting dust?" The blond began before looking up to the trapped sword and pretending to be oblivious. "That and a sword?"

"Well a few weeks ago my unit was tasked with a simple job. Steal all the dust we can and then demolish this mine. However, when my men were setting the charges we stumbled upon that sword stuck in stone. I then felt compelled to inform my leader of my discovery. That is when I received my new assignment, recover that sword at all costs." The Faunus explained before laughing to himself and shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know what's so important about it, but if it helps the great White Fang. There isn't nothing I wouldn't do!"

Naruto smirked, this guy was given him a lot of information to go off of. "So tell me, what do you know about Salem?"

"Who?" The man asked, causing Naruto to frown.

"That's a bummer, it would appear you don't know much about anything." Naruto replied with a soft sigh. "Guess the only thing left to do is kick your ass."

"Like hell you will!" The Faunus yelled before rushing at Naruto.

A mad grin graced Naruto's lips as he held his sword up to block the attacking man. However, Naruto wasn't ready for the captain to disappear in an impressive burst of speed.

"Damnit! Where did he go!" Naruto shouted as he scanned the area for his opponent.

"Right here!" The captain shouted as he appeared by Naruto's side.

His eyes growing wide, Naruto raised his forearm to shield himself. Unfortunately the Faunus kicked Naruto in the stomach instead, knocking the wind out of the blond and breaking his guard in one strike.

"Arghh." Naruto grunted in pain.

"Take this!" The captain yelled as he swung his weapon at Naruto and batted the blond away like a fly.

Sailing across the jagged rock floor, Naruto's body continued to bounce and roll all the way until he collided with the walls of the cavern.

Leaning against the rock wall, Naruto glared at the White Fang member with one eye closed. "Bastards a little tougher than he looks." The blond mumbled to himself.

Rushing at Naruto the White Fang captain pointed his drill at the blond and planned to impale the young teenager. Though instead of waiting for the man to strike the blond gripped his katana and darted towards his attacker.

The two meeting each other halfway, Naruto and the Faunus engaged in a fierce trade off of weapon strikes. As they battled, it was obvious to tell that the White Fang captain was faster than Naruto. However, the blond swordsman was stronger and a better fighter in general. So the two were at a standstill, as neither could get the upper hand.

"You're pretty good kid." The masked man chuckled, his drill spinning to life as he pushed his weapon down onto Naruto.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto pushed the man's weapon back with his own. Leaving a wide opening to strike. "I'm a little more than good!" The blond shouted before attempting to strike the man.

Unfortunately for Naruto the man simply avoided the attack with his superior speed. An action which only caused Naruto's anger to rise.

 **"Such arrogance, too bad you can't back up your words."** The voice from before mocked.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled as he started to attack the Faunus with a flurry of wild sword strikes. Though none of his strikes managed to hit their mark.

 **"Is that really the best you have? How do you expect to beat Salem if you can't beat one measly Faunus? Pathetic."**

"Stop talking!" Naruto roared as he started to move at a faster pace. His eyes glowing a bright red, while at the same time his sword strikes grew faster and stronger.

Finding himself suddenly struggling with Naruto's attacks, the White Fang captain gritted his teeth. "Just what are you talking about!" The man screamed, as he didn't hear the voice speaking to Naruto.

 **"If this is all you have everyone is going to die. Your parents, your sister's, your friends and even that girl you promised to protect. They will all die by Salem's hands!"**

"I said shut the fuck up!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs as he sliced the cheetah Faunus in the chest. "I'm sick of hearing your shit!"

Continuing in his rage filled onslaught, Naruto slashed and hacked his opponent without showing any signs of yielding. This continued until the point where the man fell onto his back completely unconscious, an action which finally caused Naruto to stop and take a few deep breaths.

"It's over." Naruto mumbled before he relaxed his weapon and took a deep sigh. "I really lost control of myself."

Walking past the defeated Faunus, Naruto walked over to the sword buried in the stone at a slow pace. Then by jumping onto the large red stone Naruto looked down at the blade imbedded in the rock.

"Alright, let's see if I can pull this thing free." Naruto mused while he placed one hand on the sword's handle.

 **"You humans are all the same, you kill and steal for what you want without earning it."** The voice began before Naruto was blinded by a bright white light coming from the sword.

Closing his eyes Naruto felt a strange tingling sensation sweep over his body. So bracing himself for the absolute worse, Naruto waited patiently for whatever was going to happen. Though after a few seconds he slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

"Wh-what the hell is going on!" Naruto gasped as he looked around his surroundings. Noticing he was no longer in the mine, but was instead in the middle of a giant meadow.

 **"That's an irrelevant question."** The voice replied, but this time Naruto was able to identify the direction of the voice.

Spinning on his heel, Naruto's eyes grew wide in surprise. "That's not possible, just who the hell are you!"

 **"And Isn't it obvious? I'm you."** Was the response of the individual identical to Naruto in every single aspect. Though the one key difference was the sword that was previously trapped in the stone was now within the imposter Naruto's hands. The sword was a curved short sword with five holes going through the blade and it's edge was pointed right at Naruto.

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(With Nora)

Standing with her arms crossed, Nora nervously tapped her foot onto the dirt. Her eyes which were filled with worry gazed at the opening of the mine.

"He better be okay." The Winter Maiden mumbled to herself.

"Excuse me Miss." An unfamiliar voice spoke up from behind.

Glancing over her shoulder, Nora noticed one of the female mine workers standing behind her. The woman was a tiger Faunus and she was staring Nora down with a look of curiosity.

"Yes what is it?" Nora replied in a plain voice.

The worker saluted the young huntress before pointing off in another direction. "All the White Fang members have been detained and will no longer be an issue."

Looking down a couple feet to a large group of mine workers, Nora saw all the defeated White Fang members tightly bound together with some rope.

"Good job." The orange haired girl complemented, before she instantly moved her attention back to the mine entrance.

"Um excuse me, but is everything alright? You seem troubled." The female Faunus pointed out.

Nora looked back to the woman and flashed her a soft smile. "It's nothing serious." The girl lied in a soft voice.

The woman laughed and placed her hands onto her hips. "That boy you came here with, he is special to you isn't he? A boyfriend perhaps?"

Nora's face turned beat red and she looked away. "He's just a friend, my best friend." She clarified.

"Oh I'm sure that's all he is to you." The woman replied sarcastically. "But regardless you're worried about him."

Nora slowly rubbed her arm and glanced off into the distance. "Naruto's a powerful huntsmen, probably the strongest I know, but he's not invincible. And when you've lost as many loved ones as I have, well you can't help yourself from worrying."

The woman grinned wide at Nora, showing off her sharp teeth. "I'm sure he is fine, he has something important to come back to after all." The woman replied with a small laugh.

"What do you mean by that?" A flustered Nora asked.

"Heh, when you two first arrived at the mine I watched you both. No matter where you went or what you did, that boy always kept himself positioned to protect you at a moment's notice." The woman explained. "It seems keeping you safe is very important to him. So by default that means you're very important to him."

Nora grinned wide and looked to the ground. "I'm important to Naruto?" The girl mumbled with joy in her voice before smiling. Though the sound of footsteps and voices caused Nora's head to shoot up. "Naruto you're back-. . ."

Looking at all the remaining mine workers leaving the mine, Nora looked disappointed and worried. As the young huntress did not see any sign of Naruto with the group of workers.

"Hey it looks like you all made it out of there!" The female Faunus by Nora spoke happily.

Another tiger Faunus who was a male stopped by the woman. "Yeah, and it's all thanks to that blond kid who showed up out of nowhere. Just who is that guy, he seems tough!"

The female smirked. "Well I don't know who they are or where they are from. But that boy and his partner both saved all of us."

The man glanced over to Nora, the latter of whom was staring the man down with wide eyes.

"Where is Naruto?" The girl demanded to know. "Is he okay!"

"Whoa, hold on little girl. If you're talking about that blond boy who saved us. Yeah he should be okay, he's taking care of their leader right now." The man explained.

The female Faunus rested her hand on Nora's shoulder and smiled. "Remember what I said, there is no need to worry. He will be fine and will come back."

Nora nodded. "Yeah, I just have to put my faith in Naruto!"

"That's the spirit!" The woman replied joyfully.

The two women exchanged large grins, but their merriment was cut short by a piercing howl. A familiar noise that anyone would recognize.

"Beowulf's." Nora gasped as she noticed several creatures of Grimm running towards their location. "You guys need to get out of here!"

The woman grinned and grabbed a pickaxe. "Like we are gonna run away and leave you alone." The female began before turning around to her fellow workers. "Everyone grab any weapon you can, we got to fight these beasts off!"

The workers gave a loud chorus of screams and battle cries, before they all charged at the approaching Grimm.

Nora watched the workers rush the Grimm and gripped her weapon. "Naruto you better move quick, because things are turning bad." The girl mumbled before she ran off to engage the monsters.

As the battle began, Nora easily started off by defeating multiple creatures of Grimm. Doing so at a much faster pace than the mine workers, showing the difference between a civilian and a huntress. Though as Nora battled the beasts, she noticed there was multiple types of Grimm from Death Stalkers to Ursa. She also noticed the monsters numbers were massive, which was unlike any grouping of Grimm she has seen before.

"There is so many." Nora gasped, while she jumped over an Ursa and landed on a Beowulf. Then as she smashed the beast's head with Magnhild, Nora looked to the workers. "I can hold my own, but they are a different story."

"Help!" A worker shouted as a Beowulf tackled him to the ground.

"There is too many!" Another shouted as Grimm started to surround the panicking worker.

"We are all gonna die!" A worker shouted in fear.

Nora gritted her teeth and closed her eyes as she couldn't watch as some of the workers were killed by the horde of Grimm.

"I have to do something, but." Nora stopped speaking as the voice of her own mother echoed in her head.

 _'That's why you must promise me, you will never use your powers again.'_

Nora tightened her fists as she heard more screams and cries for help. "I can't save them all with just Magnhild. I'm sorry mom, but I've got to break my promise." The girl mumbled, while her body was surrounded by a cold icy mist.

 **"Absolute Freeze."** Nora spoke in a trance like state, followed by ice protruding around her body and traveling in every direction. Then as the ice connected with the various creatures of Grimm, Nora's ice froze every single one solid. Creating a winter wonderland of frozen Grimm sculptures.

Taking a deep breath, Nora leaned over and started to pant. She rarely used her Maiden powers and doing something to this extent really took a lot out of her.

"Damn." The girl mumbled as she fell onto one knee. "That really took a lot out of me, but it looks like everyone is out of danger."

Looking around the desert area that had been completely transformed into a winter wasteland. Nora took a sigh of relief, knowing the Grimm threat was over. However, what the young Maiden didn't know. Was the true battle was about to begin.

"So this is the Winter Maiden." An amused voice chuckled from behind Nora. "I'm slightly underwhelmed."

Turning around and forcing herself onto her feet, Nora looked to the strange woman with fear in her eyes. As every instinct Nora had was telling her to run away.

"Who are you!" Nora demanded to know, while the girl prepared herself for an attack.

The woman chuckled and took a slight bow. "I've gone by several names throughout the centuries. You however, may call me Salem."

Nora's eyes grew as wide as they could go and her body began to tremble. The orange haired girl took a slight step back. "W-why are you here?"

Salem grinned like a madwoman. "Well i'm here to kill you and take your powers. Then I will kill that Relic Wielder and take what is mine." The woman declared.

Nora gripped her hands around Magnhild as she heard Salem's plans. "I won't let you." Nora began in a low voice, while she thrusted her hammer foreword. Summoning a large wave of ice spikes in Salem's direction. "I won't let you take anyone else from me!"

Salem merely smirked as a black tendril grew out of her arm. Then in one clean swipe she shattered Nora's ice. "Is this all the Winter Maiden can do? I really am quite disappointed in you."

Taking a few steps back Nora began to shake. All her repressed memories of losing her parents and Ren were coming flooding back into her mind. Then as she watched the red eyed woman approach her, Nora allowed her own fear to overtake her.

"Naruto where are you? I need you Naruto!" The orange haired girl shriked in terror.

Salem laughed while several tendrils grew out of her outstretched arm and slapped Nora across the open area. "Yes that's the spirit! Scream in fear, it makes this all the more enjoyable for me!"

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(With Naruto)

Glaring at his doppelganger with a mixture of confusion and anger, Naruto lifted his sword into the air and pointed his blade at the fake copy of himself.

"What is going on!" The blond teenager demanded to know.

The fake Naruto started to laugh and shrugged his shoulders. **"Like I said I am you, well I'm the version of you that you keep buried away. The one you try to repress with your drinking and cocky demeanor."**

Naruto tightened his grip on Kitsune and gritted his teeth. "You don't know a damn thing about me imposter."

Laughing to himself, the fake Naruto placed a hand to his face and threw his head back. **"I know everything about you, because we are one in the same idiot!"**

"Liar!" Naruto shouted in anger, while he planned to charge at the man. Though a muffled and hardly audible scream grabbed his attention. At first Naruto couldn't make out who the sound originated from, but as the fake Naruto's grin grew wider. The sound of the screams became more clear.

"NARUTO! HELP ME!" Was the plea that caused Naruto's eyes to grow wide and his heart to skip a beat.

"Nora!" The blond called out, while he desperately searched the area for any sign of his partner. "Can you hear me? Where are you!"

 **"It's no use, she can't hear you and you won't find her."** The fake Naruto declared.

His eyes being engulfed in a fiery red glow more bright than ever before, Naruto ran after his doppelganger. "What did you do to Nora!" The blond demanded to know, while he brought his sword down onto his counterpart. "If you hurt her I will kill you!"

 **"Oh I didn't do anything."** The fake Naruto answered as he blocked Naruto's strike with the sword in his hand. **"Salem on the other hand, well she's probably torturing poor Nora a little before she kills her."**

"What!" The blond shouted in surprise. "Salem is here and she is with Nora! I have to help her!"

 **"Like you can do anything."** The fake Naruto began before he raised his knee into the original Naruto's gut. **"You don't have the power to fight Salem."**

Gasping for air, Naruto slightly bent over and relaxed his guard. This allowed the fake Naruto to punch him square in the jaw and send him flying. Then coming to a painful landing, the original Naruto came to a stop with his face buried in the dirt.

Naruto then laid there on the ground and thought to himself for a moment. Could what his copy cat had said be true? Was he really powerless against Salem?

 **"Giving up already?"** The fake Naruto asked in a disappointed voice. **"We haven't even** **started yet!"**

Slamming his clenched fists into the ground, Naruto pushed his body upwards. Then by standing to his feet the blond glared at the fake version of himself.

"Let's get one thing straight jack ass. I'm going to beat the shit out of you, take that relic you have and then save Nora." The real Naruto declared with conviction behind his words.

 **"And how do you plan to even beat me? If you didn't realize it I am you. I have your skills, your powers, hell I even think just like you!"** The fake Naruto shouted with a large grin while holding out the sword in his hand. **"But unlike you I have a Relic and the powers that it bestows upon me!"**

The real Naruto cracked his neck and dropped into a sword stance. "I'll beat you because Nora's life is on the line. I'm fighting for her, so I can't afford to lose."

The fake Naruto shook his head and sighed. **"Allow me to show you something, see this Relic amplifies our Semblance to unimaginable levels. See you can only steal the luck of others and improve your own luck. I on the other hand can steal everything!"** The doppelganger declared as he held his outstretched hand towards Naruto. **"Let's start by taking away some of your strength and use it to make myself stronger!"**

Feeling his energy and strength leaving his body, the original Naruto started to shake. His body eventually slumping over in exhaustion forcing the young blond to plant his sword into the ground just to stand on his feet.

"Wh-what did you d-do to me?" Naruto asked.

The fake Naruto grinned ear to ear, while his muscles started to expanded and his upper body grew larger than normal. **"It's just as I said, I stole your strength. Next I think I will take your sword!"** The fake Naruto declared, before the original Naruto felt Kitsune begin to shake and twitch in his hands. Then in one swift movement, Kitsune was sent flying out of Naruto's grasp and straight into the hands of the imposter.

Having no weapon to lean onto for support, Naruto fell forward onto his knees. His eyes were wide open, while he looked up to his imposter holding both his own sword and the relic.

"This isn't possible." The blond gasped in shock. "This can't be happening."

The fake Naruto smiled wide and started to charge at the original. **"Oh trust me, this is very real!"** The fake Naruto declared, before he planted a firm kick into the original Naruto's jaw.

Being sent up into the air, Naruto gritted his teeth and tried to fight back. However, his doppelganger simple planted a strong fist into his cheek and sent the original Naruto flying back into a tree.

Gasping for air, Naruto slid down to the base of the tree and took a deep breath. Unfortunately, Naruto got no time to recover as the fake Naruto trusted Kitsune into his shoulder blade. This caused the original Naruto to growl in pain before coughing up some blood.

 **"Pathetic."** The fake Naruto taunted with a sneer.

Looking up to the imposter with pure hate, Naruto slowly placed his hands onto Kitsune. Then with a trembling hand, he tried to remove the blade that pinned him to the tree.

"Fuck you." Naruto mumbled, while a trail of blood ran down the corner of his mouth.

The fake Naruto shook his head and laughed. **"Why do you even bother trying? It's hopeless!"**

Grunting in pain, Naruto continued to pull on his weapon. "Because Nora needs me." The blond declared. "I promised I would be there for her and I'm not going back on my word!"

Rolling his eyes, the fake Naruto planted his foot into the original's chest. **"Oh spare me that bullshit. You claim that girl is your friend, but she doesn't even know the kind of person WE are!"**

Naruto grabbed the fake Naruto's leg and tried to remove his foot, but he had no success. "Like I said asshole, you're not me."

The fake Naruto threw his head back in laughter. **"Oh trust me, I am you! And I bet if little Nora or those two sisters of ours learned the kind of things we have done. Well I'm sure they would hate us."**

"Fu. . ."

 **"Yeah, yeah fuck me, man you never notice how annoying you can be till you meet yourself."** The fake Naruto began before removing his foot and bending down to meet the original at eye level. **"But regardless of what you say, you know I'm right. If Nora, Yang or Ruby learned what we did before joining Beacon. Well they wouldn't ever want to see us again. After all, you already know this. That's why you've kept everything you've done to yourself!"**

"They wouldn't be like that, they are my friends and family!" The original Naruto retorted.

 **"Do you honestly believe that? Do you expect me to believe that? When I know you can't even forgive yourself for the things you've done?"** The fake Naruto began before a wild grin appeared on his face. **"After all your past is why you drink so much? It's easy to hide who you really are behind a bottle isn't it?"**

Naruto took a swing at his doppelganger, but his fist fell a few feet short. Then as the fake Naruto chuckled, the real Naruto dropped his arm to his side.

 **"What was mom's favorite saying again?"** The fake Naruto began before snapping his fingers. **"Oh I remember! The weak die and the strong live. . . Do you remember the first time she told us those words?"**

"What are you getting at?" Naruto snapped back in response.

The fake Naruto waved his finger in the air. **"Growing up in a tribe of bandits we have stolen, hurt and killed more times than we could think of."** The imposter began before clapping his hands together. **"But the first time mom took us on a collecting mission is when she spoke those words. See we were only five years old and she took us to a settlement being burnt to the ground."**

Naruto closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Shut up." The blond ordered.

 **"But we still remember everything like it happened yesterday. The screams, the smell of blood and burning buildings. The snarls of the creatures of Grimm that were tearing the settlers apart. Every god awful detail was burned into our memory!"** The fake Naruto yelled, while the real Naruto's senses were overtaken by the smell of fire, smoke and blood. Then as a bone chilling scream made itself known, the real Naruto opened his eyes.

"What is going on?" Naruto gasped as he was no longer pinned to a tree in the forest, but instead he was pinned to a wall in the burning settlement from his childhood.

 **"We asked her, mom why don't we help these people? Remember that?"** The fake Naruto began as he pointed off into the distance, right to where a younger Naruto and Raven were. **"And she said they were not our responsibility, because the weak die and the strong live. Then saying nothing more we stole from the settlement and ignored the people calling for our help. But that's not the worst of it, sure we were only five and couldn't do anything to help. However, how many times since then did we go on a collecting mission and ignore people who needed our help? How many people did we condemn to death by choosing to ignore their pleas for help? At first we knew the number by heart, but over the years we stopped counting. Our compassion and need to help others died out and our drinking became our escape from what we had done."**

Naruto clutched his head with his hands and started to shake. "People die everyday, me saving a few people wouldn't change that."

 **"We could have tried to at least help the people who needed us, but we refused. We believed the needs of the tribe was our one and only priority. And that selfish greedy belief is the sin we carry."** The fake Naruto declared.

Feeling defeated and exhausted, Naruto relaxed his body. While the screams and smells of his past grew even more intense. While the original Naruto started to give up, his copy cat looked down with a victorious smirk.

 **"A pitiful thief who steals from the weak and dead. You're better off dead yourself."** The fake Naruto began, before he raised the relic in his hand high into the air. **"You disgusting embodiment of greed, be gone."**

Naruto looked up to the sword raised above his head, his mind telling him to move and fight back. However, instead of trying to do anything Naruto looked down in shame and accepted his fate.

 _"Giving up already? Did you forget Nora needs you?"_ An unfamiliar and calm voice asked.

Ignoring the voice, Naruto stayed motionless while his imposter brought his sword in a downward strike.

 _"Are you really going to let Nora down? She's lost everyone and all she has left is you! Don't get lost in the darkness, get up and fight!"_

Naruto sighed and looked up to his doppelganger, who had his sword mere inches from his face.

 _"You're just gonna give up like that?"_ The voice asked with a small sigh. _"You made a promise to Nora! I failed her, but you can still do something! So get up and fight Naruto!"_

Closing his eyes Naruto accepted his fate and waited for the final strike to come. As nothing the voice could say could inspire him to fight back. However, there was one person whose voice could ignite a spark within the young Branwen.

"NARUTO!" Was the final cry from Nora that caused Naruto's eyes to shoot wide open.

"I can't give up!" Naruto shouted, as a sword identical to the one the fake Naruto's hands materialized in his own hand.

 **"What!"** The fake Naruto shouted, while the real Naruto parried his sword strike.

Pulling Kitsune out of his shoulder and tossing the weapon to the side. Naruto stood to his feet and attacked his imposter.

"I'm getting real sick and tired of your shit." Naruto growled as he took a swing at the fake Naruto.

Clashing blades with Naruto, the fake Naruto gritted his teeth in anger. " **Why are you fighting back? Because that girl needs you? She would abandon you the moment she realized what you really are!"**

Naruto smirked as he felt his strength enter his body. "I'll admit I've done terrible things, I've lied, stolen and killed. I'm a greedy human who cares very little for the weak and helpless. I only care about myself and those few I hold close to my heart. However, you say you're me, but you don't even know Nora. She's the most kind person I've ever met and is my best friend. If anyone can forgive me for my sins, it would be her."

Being knocked back by the original Naruto and landing on his backside, the fake Naruto looked up with anger. **"How can you even use that weapon? Someone like you shouldn't be able to wield it properly, let alone summon its powers!"**

Naruto scoffed and examined the weapon in his hands. "You made it look pretty easy for a cheap imitation of me."

The fake Naruto growled. **"So you've realized to use your relic you need to become kinder. You need to be a better person who protects everyone who needs him."**

Naruto raised his eyebrow and gave the fake version of himself an odd look. "The hell are you going on about?" The blond asked while he leaned over his doppelganger. "Nora needs me, so I made a choice. Since I am a thief I'll take this power to protect her."

The fake Naruto's eye grew wide in disbelief. **"You can't do such a thing! That's not how this is suppose to go!"**

Naruto grinned wide and rested the sword on his shoulder. "Like I give a damn what you think. I'll take what's mine and use it to protect what I care for."

 **"So instead of changing yourself you're embracing your sin!"** The fake Naruto shouted.

"Why be someone I'm not?" Naruto asked with humor behind his voice. "Like you said I was born and raised to be a thief. So like any thief I'll take what I want."

 **"You haven't earned this power! You might be the only person who can use it, but you don't deserve this relics power!"** The fake Naruto shouted in anger.

His eyes narrowing and looking down at his doppelganger with a blank expression, Naruto raised his sword high into the air. "Yeah whatever." The blond replied offhandedly before striking down his imposter. "Just do me a favor and piss off."

Being sliced in half, the fake Naruto evaporated into a black smoke. Leaving only the original Naruto standing alone.

 _"Good job, now go save Nora."_ The voice ordered.

Rolling his eyes at the voice, Naruto was suddenly brought back into the cave from where he started. Taking notice that the blond had no scratches or bruises on his body, showing the battle he had just had was a mental one and not physical. Though he was now holding the relic in his hand, which now had a red fox symbol on its handle.

"Don't tell me what to do." Naruto replied to the voice. "Especially when I don't even know who or what you are."

The voice chuckled. _"Think of me as a friend of a friend."_

"Whatever." The blond grumbled as he started to run towards the exit. "Like I care who you are. Nora needs me so just shut up or go away."

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Chapter End!

Naruto gets his relic and is on his way to save Nora. Will he make it in time? And if he does can he stand against Salem and survive?

So I hope you liked my latest chapter, it took longer than usual due to its size and I recently lost a close family member. So that took away from my time to write.

Anyhow, a lot has happened and next chapter will be the big chapter that wraps up volume one of this story. And I hope you guys like what I did with Naruto and (dark Naruto) instead of the cliche I accept you as me. I went for the whole fuck you I'm going to do what I want route. And using the the word fuck, you may notice this story is now Rated M. This is something I've wanted to do since I wanted to add more mature themes and dialogue. And since I know I'll get this question will i do a lemon scene? The answer is I don't know, I've never wrote anything like that before, but the option isn't completely off the table.

Next thank you guys for the support, it's unreal as we are over 1k followers and this is only chapter 8! I'm blown away guys, so thank you for your support. I hope to get chapter 9 up soon along with the next chapter of my other story Jump City Assassin. Till then drop a review give me some feedback and enjoy your day!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9. Even if I Were to Die

(With Nora)

To say the Winter Maiden was in a difficult situation was an understatement. The young huntress was short of breath, on her backside and bleeding profusely. Though the brave girl still had enough strength to slightly prop her body up with her forearms, which allowed her clear vision of her assailant.

Salem bore a wide grin on her face as she overlooked Nora. Showing the amount of sick and twisted pleasure she got from tormenting the young huntress.

"You're a pathetic excuse for a Seasonal Maiden." Salem began in a condescending tone, before the woman stepped over a patch of ice. "However, you do show promise and I am in high spirits today. So I'll give you an opportunity to live."

Nora trembled as she watched Salem stop moving and stand still only a few feet away from her.

"Here is my offer, join me and become my Winter Maiden. If you serve me not only will you live, but you will have power, wealth and anything else your heart desires." She revealed before holding her arms out, as a gesture for Nora to come to her and join her. "What do you say girl."

Nora looked up to the woman with a mixture of fear and confusion. As so many questions ran through Nora's mind, but as Nora thought to herself. She remembered something crucial about the Seasonal Maidens, something that brought a little more confidence in the young woman.

"Heh, I get it now." Nora chuckled out in a low voice, while she slowly pushed herself to her feet. "You want me to join you because you can't kill me. Because if you do the Winter Maiden's power will just go to someone else."

Salem smirked and shook her head. "You greatly overestimate your worth girl." Salem retorted, before a black tendril grew out of Salem's arm and slapped Nora into the air. The same tendril then wrapped around Nora's leg and slammed the girl into the ground, causing a large cloud of dust to fly into the air and Nora to scream in pain. "You see I can easily take your power, kill you and then transfer that power to one of my loyal followers!"

Coughing and taking deep and heavy breaths, Nora looked to Salem. While her confidence from earlier was quickly fading. "You're lying." The orange haired girl accused.

As a loud laugh came out of Salem, the vile woman held her hands up into the air. "Oh trust me girl I'm not lying, but I will give you one more chance. Will you join me or will I have to kill you?"

Gritting her teeth in pain, Nora weighed her options. She could either take Salem's offer and betray her friends. Or she could try to fight back and maybe escape, but realistically Nora knew she would die trying. Though while Nora thought over her options, she pondered what her partner would do.

Thinking of her partner Nora smirked and looked up to Salem. "Fuck you." The girl spat out, causing Salem to shake her head. "I'd never help a miserable bitch like you!"

"You really wish to die don't you?" Salem began with a slight laugh behind her voice. "You stupid girl, I'm going to enjoy breaking you."

Holding her arm out, Salem sent a wave of black tendrils at Nora. The latter of whom could only watch helplessly as Salem's attack crashed into her side and sent her rolling.

Off to the side of the battle, the workers who Nora had saved watched their savior get beaten around with sadden expressions.

"We need to help her!" One of the workers shouted to the rest of the Faunus present.

"But what could we do? That woman is a monster, we are only miners not huntsmen!" Another worker pointed out.

The female Faunus that had talked to Nora earlier gritted her teeth. "That girl saved all of us twice, so we need to help her!"

"Yeah, besides we greatly out number that woman!" A miner pointed out.

"Let's go-. . ." A miner began, but the Faunus quickly fell to his knees in exhaustion. "Why do I feel so tired?"

The female Faunus looked around and noticed all her fellow miners falling down in exhaustion. Then before she could voice her concerns, she fell down to her knees. "What's going on? Is that woman doing this?" The Faunus asked herself, but as she looked to Salem her eyes went wide. "Or is it him?"

Over with Salem, the red eyed woman was slowly stalking towards Nora. Completely unaware a new intruder had invaded her space.

"Well girl, it's been fun." Salem began while she looked down to Nora with a small glare. "But I think I'll kill you now."

Nora's eyes were wide with fear, as the girl tried to crawl away from her attacker. However, she made little to no progress in creating distance between herself and Salem.

"Stay away!" The girl shrieked in fear.

Salem grinned and held a hand out towards Nora, causing a small Grimm like bug to grow out of her hand. "Oh I do love to hear you scream, but I've become bored with you."

Nora froze completely still, but her fear filled eyes instantly turned to shock. As the young maiden noticed one hand clamp onto Salem's jaw, while another firmly grasped the top of her head. Then in one shocking display, Nora watched as Salem's neck was tightly twisted and her head fully flipped upside down. Causing the vile woman to cough up a large amount of blood.

"You mind repeating that? I didn't hear you the first time." Naruto spoke in a smug tone, while he glanced down to Salem with a blank face.

Making some gurgling noises, Salem was unable to form a proper retort. So Naruto decided to take action.

 **"Fox Hunt!"** The teen shouted, while swiping his hand through Salem's chest. Pulling the woman's heart right out of her body. Then by slamming the organ onto the ground, Naruto crushed her heart followed by the young blond punching Salem in the face. Using enough force to send Salem crashing straight into a storage building.

Looking up to her partner, Nora brought a hand to her mouth and started to sob. Just when she needed him most, Naruto came to her rescue.

"You idiot, didn't you hear me calling for you? What took you so long?" Nora asked, while a large grin graced her face.

Naruto scoffed at his partner and smiled. "Idiot? That's big words coming from you. Quit trying to act all cool."

Nora laughed as the tears kept pouring down her eyes. "You're the biggest idiot I know." The girl declared.

Naruto flashed Nora his canines and placed one hand on the Relic on his hip. "Well like they say, idiots get along best!" The boy retorted before holding a hand out. "Now why don't I help you up?"

Nora accepted the hand and was pulled to her feet, but the girl was still weak. So she lost her balance and fell into her partner's chest.

"Thank you." The girl sobbed in a low voice, while her hands firmly gripped the boy's clothing. "I was so scared."

Naruto grinned and placed one arm around Nora to comfort the girl. "I told you I would keep my promise. I will never let anyone hurt you."

Looking up to her partner with a blush and a loving gaze, Nora slowly brought a shaky finger to her partner's nose. "Boop." The Winter Maiden mumbled in a weak voice.

"Why don't we get the hell out of here?" Naruto purposed, while he scooped Nora up into his arms.

Turning bright red, Nora laid in her partner's arm bridal style. "Did you find the relic?" The girl asked weakly.

Naruto gave his partner a cocky smirk. "Why of course! It was a pain in the ass, but I got it. And it just so happens I am the one who can use its powers."

"That's amazing!" Nora replied with a small amount of energy. "Though this is you we are talking about! So it should be no surprise you can use the relic."

Naruto beamed with pride at Nora's complement. "I am pretty great." The blond declared in a smug tone.

"Don't get too full of yourself." The voice in Naruto's head advised.

Naruto rolled his eyes and moved his line of sight away from Nora. Almost like he was looking at someone else. "Shut the hell up, what are you my Jimmy Cricket?"

Nora looked up to her partner with a bewildered face. "Is everything okay?" The girl asked in a concern filled voice.

"You do realize only you can hear me? So you look a little bit crazy talking to someone who is not there. Though you're hearing a voice in your head, so maybe you're crazy." The voice pointed out.

Choosing to ignore the voice, Naruto looked back to Nora. "Heh, sorry got caught up talking to myself."

"If you say so, but let's just get out of here. I'm already missing Beacon." Nora admitted.

Grabbing one of his two blades used to form his katana, Naruto swiped the air to his right. Though when nothing happened he was left riddled with confusion.

"Something isn't right." Naruto mumbled in a low voice. "I have leftover dust for my teleportation technique, but I can't create a portal."

Nora raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you're doing it wrong." The girl purposed.

Naruto shook his head. "No that's not the problem, it's almost like I don't have the ability to use my family techniques anymore."

"Your semblance was altered once you channeled the power of the relic. Perhaps your family techniques were altered as well. Or maybe you no longer have the ability to use them thanks to the relic. It's something we should look into later." The voice explained.

Thinking what the voice said could be true, Naruto placed his weapon away and sighed. "Well looks like we are walking back to our ride home." The blond began before he started to move. However, his instincts kicking in Naruto's jumped quickly to the left. Moving in just the right time to avoid a black tendril that had pierced the ground where he once was.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto yelled, while he looked at the tendril.

Nora who was still in Naruto's arms looked over the blond's shoulder. Her eyes growing wide in fear as she noticed their attacker. "Naruto, we need to run now!" The Winter Maiden instructed.

Noticing the fear in Nora's voice, Naruto looked down to his partner and gave her a comforting look. He then moved his gaze to the direction of their attacker, causing his eyes to be filled with disbelief. As the young Branwen noticed Salem standing only a mere twenty feet away, her head slowly twisting back to its original position.

"This can't be possible, I broke your neck! I even ripped out your fucking heart! You should be dead!" Naruto shouted in anger.

A twisted grin escaping her lips, Salem placed a finger where her heart should be. "Trust me child, you will have to try much harder than that to kill me."

Slowly backing away, Naruto held Nora tightly to his chest. "What kind of monster are you!"

Salem released a soft laugh. "Why I am the pinnacle of human evolution. A being far beyond your simple comprehension. To me having a broken neck is a simple fix. A removed limb can easily be reattached in seconds. Having my heart ripped out of my body, well who said I only have one heart? I know I never did!" Salem declared before pointing at Naruto and Nora. "Now be a good boy and give me the relic and the Maiden. And who knows I might grant you a painless death."

Nora was visibly shaking in her partner's arms, as she was absolutely terrified of Salem. Plus it didn't help not having any strength to stand, let alone fight back. So it left Nora feeling completely helpless against Salem.

Naruto on the other hand grinned and slightly leaned forward. "Man this bitch freaks me the hell out." The blond admitted in a lighthearted tone. "But don't worry Nora, we will be fine."

Nora closed her eyes and gripped onto her partner's shirt. "How can you be so calm?" The girl asked in a weak voice.

"Well, I have something important to protect." Naruto declared in confident tone. "That's how."

Her eyes snapping open, Nora looked up to her partner and meet his fiery red gaze. While her mind going back to what the women she spoke to early had said. "Important." The orange haired girl mumbled in a low voice.

Naruto smiled wide. "Yes Nora, you're very important to me. And I promise you I will always protect you, even if I were to die doing so."

A tear trailing down her face, Nora opened her mouth to mumbled two simple words. However, the condescending laughter of Salem stopped Nora from speaking.

"Oh trust me boy, you will die today." Salem declared in a matter of fact tone. "But those red eyes of yours, you're a Branwen. So tell me, are you Raven's child or Qrow's? Or perhaps I made an error and left a few more of your kind alive?"

Naruto glared at Salem with a rage filled expression. "Will you do me a favor and shut your stupid fucking mouth? You arrogant old bitch."

Salem chuckled and shook her head side to side. "You're Raven's child, there is no doubt about that."

Naruto scoffed. "What gave it away? Did you notice I have her sparkling personality?" The blond asked before he grabbed the relic at his hip and pointed it at Salem. "And the names Naruto Branwen, remember it! Because that's the name of the man who's gonna kill you."

"That would be a neat trick. Why don't you come over here and try it?" Salem taunted in a low voice.

Naruto smiled and didn't move. "Oh I'd love to hack that grin off your face. However, I can't fight while holding Nora. And if I let her down you would just attack Nora while she is defenseless."

"You seem to be in quite the predicament then." Salem commented arrogantly. "It seems like luck just isn't on your side."

"I wouldn't say that." Naruto replied. "Being lucky is sorta my thing."

"Well, how about we test the extent of your luck." Salem began before she held a hand out, summoning a wave of black tendrils straight for Naruto and Nora.

Leaping backwards, Naruto held tightly onto Nora with one hand while using his relic to slash and hack all the tendrils. However, unknown to Naruto a single tendril slithered along the ground and quickly wrapped around his leg.

"Shit!" Naruto cursed as he felt the large tentacle tighten around his ankle. Though as Naruto brought his sword down to cut himself free, Salem sent the blond flying into the air and tossed him like a ragdoll.

Doing a few flips in the air, Naruto instinctively wrapped his body around Nora to protect his partner. He then landed roughly into a large sand dune and gritted his teeth, but fortunately his landing was soft enough to avoid any serious injuries.

"You okay?" Naruto whispered in a low voice, while he glanced down to inspect his partner.

"Yeah I'm fine, thanks to you." Nora replied in a low and weak voice. "But you need to worry about keeping yourself safe. At this rate you'll get seriously hurt trying to protect me!"

Naruto smiled. "I'll be fine, your safety is my first priority Nora. Like I already said, I'll protect you even if it means I will die doing so. . ."

*slap*

Naruto looked at his partner with surprise, as he didn't expect her to slap him.

"Don't say that." Nora ordered in a stern yet fragile voice. "You promised me you wouldn't leave my side and get yourself killed. Don't break that promise Naruto. . . I would be lost without you."

Naruto looked over his partner and noticed her serious expression, though she did appear on the verge of tears once more. So the blond smirked and gave his partner a tight squeeze. "I'll always be right here Nora." The red eyed boy declared. "After all someone has to help maintain your pancake addiction."

Nora grinned wide and nodded. "I do love your cooking."

Naruto laughed and slowly laid Nora down. "Well in that case." Naruto began while standing to his feet. "Stay here and watch me kill this bitch. Then afterwards I'll make you some of Naruto Branwen's famous pancakes."

"Go get her partner!" Nora cheered in a low voice.

Naruto nodded and faced down Salem, the latter of whom was watching him with an amused face.

"Are you quite done?" The woman asked in a bored tone. "You're only delaying your deaths."

Naruto held a hand out towards Salem and grinned wide. **"Physical Hunt!"** The teen screamed, as his upper body nearly tripled in size and Salem slightly slumped over in fatigue. However, Salem only showed signs of exhaustion for a brief moment before returning to her normal state.

"Was that suppose to do something?" Salem asked in a bored tone.

Naruto grinned ear to ear and blurred towards Salem at speeds the woman was incapable of following.

"Wha-. . ." Salem began in shock, but as a fist buried itself into Salem's mouth she was silenced.

Naruto gave the biggest grin he could muster, while he started to beat Salem down with a flurry of punches. "How does it feel? To have your own power used against you!" Naruto yelled as he punched Salem so hard the woman went skipping across the ground.

Laughing to himself, Naruto ran around Salem and kicked the woman before she could come to a full stop. Then after repeating the process a few times over, Naruto eventually used his new sword to cut Salem in half.

"Tch, where is all that cocky shit you were spouting earlier?" Naruto asked in a smug tone.

Tendrils shooting out of the split portions of Salem's body, the woman slowly pulled herself back together. "I am going to enjoy killing you."

"Well I'm right here, so show me what you got!" Naruto challenged before running back at Salem.

Summoning more tendrils, Salem went on the offensive trying to damage Naruto. However, with the blond's increased speed and power it was nearly impossible for Salem to do anything. Since Naruto would just avoid or simply hack away anything she threw in his direction.

Eventually Naruto started to close in on Salem and get within striking distance of her body. A feat that caused the woman to scowl in annoyance.

"Haven't you learned boy." Salem began as she watched Naruto prepare to attack her. "No matter how many times you cut me in half, nothing will kill me! I can't die by conventional means!"

Naruto smirked and swiped his sword in a horizontal arc across Salem's chest. **"Fox Hunt!"** The red eyed boy yelled, before he removed his blade from Salem's chest. Then by flashing his weapon to the woman, he grinned at the two hearts that were resting on his blade.

"You said you had more than one heart." The young Branwen began in a smug tone. "That's three down so far. Now how many more until I can finally get you to shut the hell up?"

Salem finally allowed her calm and collected composure to slip, as now her anger was at its peak. "You pathetic little insect, I'm going to rip you piece by piece. Then I will feed your rotting corpse to-. . ."

Salem was silenced by a strong fist to her face courtesy of Naruto. "Well that's one way to shut you up." The blond mumbled in satisfaction, while he watched the vile woman go toppling backwards.

Off to the side, Nora watched her partner in amazement. She rarely got the opportunity to see her partner fight for real. Plus with the added power of his relic, Naruto's abilities were even more amazing to behold.

"He might do it." Nora mumbled in surprise. "He might actually beat her. . . Go Naruto!"

Hearing his partner's cheer, Naruto smirked and looked over his shoulder. He then flashed his partner a quick thumbs up, showing his confidence in the fight.

"Hehe. Let's finish this bitch off for good." Naruto began before looking back over to Salem, the later of whom was just picking herself up.

Running directly at Salem with all his speed, Naruto raised his sword back for a powerful slash. However, as Naruto ran his body started to ache and tremble. then before the blond knew what was happening, Naruto found himself falling face first into the ground.

"Naruto!" Nora shrieked with worry in her voice.

'Shit. Why do I feel so exhausted?' Naruto thought to himself.

"I feared this would happen." The voice in Naruto's head admitted. "You've exhausted all of your strength and the strength you stole from the miners and Salem. Your new powers are fierce, but now you are feeling the repercussions of over using your powers."

"Well this is bad." Naruto groaned, as the blond tried to push himself up onto his feet. "I can't even summon the strength to move."

"Yes this is quite bad. I assume with practice and experience you can improve your abilities. However I fear Salem won't give us that opportunity." The voice pointed out.

"What's the matter boy." The voice of Salem spoke up. "Having some trouble are we?"

Naruto looked up towards Salem's voice, but before the blond could even catch a glimpse of the evil woman. A strong and firm foot planted itself into his chin, causing Naruto to go flipping into the air.

'Fuck.' Naruto thought as he went ragdolling into the sky. However, his momentum was quickly halted by a black tendril wrapping around his leg.

"This is going to hurt." The voice spoke up in a grim tone.

'Oh shu- . . .' Naruto began in thought, but he stopped once Salem slammed his body into a pile of rocks. "Gwahh!"

"Naruto!" Nora shouted out, as she tried to pick herself up. Though the girl only managed to stumble forward and fall onto her chest.

Groaning to himself in pain, Naruto gripped tightly onto the relic in his hand. Then by summoning all his remaining strength, the blond severed the tendril wrapped around his leg. Unfortunately right after doing so his body went completely limp and he coughed up some blood.

'Was that Nora's voice?' Naruto asked no one besides himself.

"Yes, that was Nora. Remember Naruto you cannot lose! Because if you die that means Nora will perish as well!" The voice yelled inside of Naruto's head.

"Man you're annoying." Naruto mumbled in a weak voice. "Don't you think I already know that shit?"

"Then think of something!" The voice responded in desperation.

Nora looked forward to her partner and tried to crawl her way to his location. "Please be okay." The girl mumbled weakly to herself, but as she caught a glimpse of Salem walking towards Naruto she froze.

Naruto who was trying to think of anything he could do to defeat Salem noticed the woman standing over top of him.

"So boy, any last words or maybe you have a snappy one liner in mind?" Salem asked, while she raised her arm high above her head.

Naruto watched helplessly as a black substance engulfed Salem's arm. The same substance that she used to create tendrils for attacking and repairing her body. However, this time the black substance formed a giant synthetic blade around her arm.

"What's the matter boy?" Salem began, as Naruto just looked at her with an emotionless gaze. "Where is that Branwen charm of yours?"

Naruto remained silent, while Nora watched on in horror. "Don't do it." The orange haired girl begged in a helpless voice.

Salem looked down at Naruto with pure hatred. "This is the end, you pathetic insect." The woman insulted before she quickly brought her weapon down onto Naruto.

Time seemed to slow down as Nora watched Salem bring down the final blow onto her partner. Her mind instantly going back to when Ren was killed. Back then she was unable to save her friend and history was about to repeat itself. Though just the thought of losing the boy she had come to care so much for ignited a spark within the young Maiden.

"I said don't you fucking hurt him!" Nora shouted with more fury and power behind her voice than ever before.

Naruto watched in shock as Salem's attack was stopped by a hand made of pure ice, which absorbed the blow for the blond.

"What is this!" Salem snarled in anger, while glancing over to Nora. "What is this power!"

Naruto looked over to his partner, who was slowly staggering herself to her feet. "N-Nora. . . Is that really you?" The blond gasped in surprise as he noticed his partner.

Nora who was now fully on her feet glared at Salem with eyes that were glowing brighter than any star. On her head a small blue ice flower was slowly taking shape along with two large wings made of ice on her backside.

"That's her alright." The voice began in a proud tone. "Nora doesn't even realize how much power she possesses. However, when she is fighting for someone she loves. That's when her true strength shines through."

Naruto couldn't help himself from smiling. "She's amazing, even I can feel her overwhelming power. It's hard to believe that this is my partner."

"She's only ever used this kind of strength once before, but that was after I was killed. It seems the thought of losing you brought forth that power once more. You truly are a lucky man Naruto Branwen." The voice admitted with a small laugh.

"So you want to try and fight me again?" Salem asked in an angered filled tone. "You're a persistent Maiden, I'll give you that!

Holding her hand out, Nora looked at Salem with a blank expression. "You could beat me, insult me, you could even try to kill me and I wouldn't care." Nora began in a monotone voice, before a large ice spike shot out of her hand and impaled Salem's chest. "But you tried to kill someone who means everything to me. That's a sin I could never forgive."

Spitting out a large glob of blood, Salem looked at the Winter Maiden with wide eyes. "How dare yo-. . ." Salem began, but was silenced by a large ice fist that grew out of the ground and batted her away.

"Don't talk." Nora ordered, while she flew over top of Salem and held her hands down at the woman. "Just die already."

Naruto watched in amazement as his partner created a hailstorm of ice spikes that rained down upon Salem.

"She's like an actual Valkyrie." Naruto gasped while he laid motionless on the ground. "She's beautiful."

Temporarily halting her assault, Nora waited for the dust and debris to clear in order to see if Salem was even still alive. After a moment Nora got a glimpse of the panting and bleeding woman, she was still alive and was already repairing her body.

"Hmm, seems that won't do. Guess I'll have to try harder if I want to actually kill you." Nora mumbled before raising one hand high into the air.

Naruto looked up and noticed the large black clouds slowly forming in the sky. He also noticed that the hot and humid desert air was quickly approaching freezing temperatures.

"What is she doing?" Naruto mumbled in confusion.

Nora looked down at Salem and clenched her fists. "If I cannot kill you, then I will just freeze you for eternity." The young maiden declared, while a strong gust of chilling wind blew past her.

Salem frowned and glared at Nora. "You're lying, you cannot do such a thing!" Salem retorted in a confident tone, but the bead of sweat trailing down the woman's face showed she actually believed otherwise.

Nora lifted her eyebrow. "Well let's find out if I'm lying." The girl replied, while a large twister of snow swirled around her body.

Sensing the rapidly growing power of Nora, Salem merely shook her head and laughed. "To think you had this much power. Heh, I'll admit my defeat for today, but mark my words girl. I will destroy you and bring your entire world crashing down. After all, I now know who you are and what your weakness is." Salem then glanced over to Naruto. "That boy will be your undoing."

A large orb of blue magic swirling in Nora's hands, the girl watched as a portal formed around Salem's body. One which the woman slowly sunk into.

"Oh no you don't!" Nora yelled, as she tossed her magic right at Salem.

Unfortunately by the time her attack made impact and detonated onto the ground, Salem was already gone.

"Damnit." Nora cursed, while she looked down at the giant glacier of ice under her feet.

"She did it." Naruto mumbled, while his eyes slowly got heavy. "Good job Nora." The blond finished before he saw nothing besides darkness and went limp on the ground.

Taking her attention away from Salem's escape, Nora looked down to check her partner's condition. Her eyes quickly growing wide in worry as she noticed his eyes closed and body slumped over.

"Naruto!" Nora cried out, while she flew down to her partner and landed by his body. Then as the ice flower and wings on her body started to break, Nora quickly grabbed Naruto's arm and checked his pulse. "I can't feel anything! Naruto wake up!"

Tears forming around her eyes Nora shook her head. "No not again, not like this!" The girl yelled in a nearly broken voice. "I've lost my parents and Ren, I can't lose you Naruto! You promised me you wouldn't leave me!"

Nora stood still for a moment and overlooked her partner. Tear flowing down her face as she feared just like everyone else Naruto was taken from her. Though while Nora sobbed over her partner, she was unaware of the sound of footsteps approaching her.

A hand gripping onto Nora's shoulder, the young Maiden finally looked behind her. "W-who are you?" The girl asked.

The person looked at Nora with her deep crimson eyes and sighed. "I'm that idiot's mother, Raven Branwen." She introduced before reaching over and checking her son's pulse. "He's weak, but alive."

"Don't worry Nora." The voice of Taiyang spoke up, revealing his presence. "Naruto will be fine, I'll make sure of it."

Nora looked up to the blond haired man and smiled wide. "Mr. Xiao Long! I'm so happy to see you. . . Wait how are you here!"

Tai smirked and folded his arms. "Long story, but a better question." The father began before looking around the area. "What the hell happened here?"

"I don't even know where to start." Nora admitted.

Raven glared at Nora with a hard gaze. "How about you tell me who managed to hurt my son."

Nora gritted her teeth and looked down. "It was Salem."

The blood of both parents ran cold and they exchanged looks. Truly Nora had a complex story in store for them.

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(One day later)

Slowly Naruto opened his eyes, at first his vision was blurry and he was heavily disoriented. However, after a few minutes his senses started to kick in and he started to gauge his surroundings.

'Well I'm alive.' Naruto thought to himself before he glanced around his environment. Instantly noticing his body was covered in bandages and he was in an unfamiliar bed. 'But now the question is what happened and where am I?'

"Well for starters you're in your father's house. Shortly after Salem fled and you lost consciousness, your mother and father arrived and took you and Nora here." The voice explained to Naruto.

The blond nodded his head and looked to the wall, where he saw pictures of his sisters. 'So this is dad's place, it's nic-. . . Wait did you say my mom and dad? As in together?'

"Yes both your parents are here, along with Nora." The voice explained.

'Just what in the hell happened while I was out? And you know what's a better question, just who the hell are you! And why are you in my fucking head?' Naruto yelled at the voice.

"Ah where are my manners, my name is Lei Ren. As to why I am in your head I do not know to be honest. The day I died my mind or maybe a better description would be my soul went into your body. And for years I watched you live your life without being able to interact with you or do anything. Honestly it was slightly miserable, but after you touched your relic it's like a gate has been opened for me. I now have more freedom within your mind and we can now communicate." Ren explained to the blond. "Maybe professor Ozpin could shed some light on what is going on with us."

'Wait hold up, you mean to tell me you're the Ren who was close to Nora. The same Ren who died years ago and just happened to be placed in the body of the guy who would later become her friend and partner!' Naruto shouted in his own head.

"Well when you put it like that, it seems like a bunch of unlikely coincidences." Ren replied calmly.

'No shit!' Naruto retorted.

Ren's laughter echoed inside Naruto's head. "Whether it's chance or fate one fact still stands."

'And that is?' Naruto asked.

"I was the one who watched over Nora for so long, but now that role has been passed onto you. Though my relationship with Nora was more of a sibling affection, while yours seems much deeper than that."

'Seriously what are you going on about? Damn you're annoying.' The blond growled in a low voice.

"Just take care of her. And remember if you don't, well then I'll go out of my way to annoy you."

Slowly lifting himself out of bed, Naruto rolled his eyes. "Great." The blond mumbled before approaching a mirror. "I'm gonna really hate having you in my head, I can already tell."

"I disagree, to me this feels like the start of a beautiful friendship."

Looking at his own reflection, Naruto snorted at Ren's optimism. He then took notice that he was wearing nothing besides sweat pants, while his entire upper torso was covered in bandages. However, a small tint of red coloring was noticeable under his bandages. So slightly curious, Naruto removed the bandages and to his surprise on his left side slightly above his waist there was an unfamiliar tattoo. Actually to be more precise the tattoo was a fox, the same fox symbol that was on his relic.

"Where did this fucking thing come from?" Naruto mumbled in surprise.

"Well after you lost consciousness your mother attempted to grab your relic. However, it turned into a small red light and disappeared into your body, shortly after that the fox tattoo on your body appeared." Ren explained in a matter of fact tone.

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "So where the hell is the relic then?"

Ren released a soft chuckle. "You're looking at the relic. From what I can tell it's powers and abilities are now fully fused with your own. So in a sense you are the relic Naruto and its abilities won't leave until you die."

Naruto glanced down at the fox mark on his body and smirked. "That's pretty nice." The blond admitted to himself before stretching. "But enough chit-chat, it's about time I go check on Nora."

"That's a good idea." Ren replied.

Naruto nodded and left the room he was at and entered the hallway of the house. He then looked around aimlessly, trying to find out where to go next. However, the sound of voices gave Naruto a decent idea where to go. So walking towards the voices, Naruto found himself eventually standing at the entrance to a family dining room. Where Nora and both his parents were seated at a table enjoying a nice breakfast. Though once the three individuals caught a glimpse of Naruto they halted their eating.

"Hey-. . ." Tai began in a chipper voice, but was cut off by an orange blur that shot out of her seat.

"Naruto!" The Winter Maiden yelled happily before she tackled her partner into a hug, sending them both onto the ground.

Naruto laughed and glanced up to his partner, who like himself was heavily bandaged. "Hey Nora, glad to see you're okay."

Tears slightly building up in Nora's eyes the girl smiled wide. "You're one to talk! You had me worried silly buster."

Naruto reached his hand around Nora's head and pulled her forehead close to his own. "I told you once already, I'm not leaving your side."

Nora blushed red and slightly backed away from her partner. "Yeah you kept your promise, even though I had to save your butt." The girl replied, while giving Naruto a wink and sticking her tongue out.

Naruto grinned. "Well just shows how lucky I am to have such an amazing partner." The blond retorted in a cocky tone.

Nora smiled wide at her partner's praise, but a crude huff momentarily ruined their moment.

"You know we are here as well." Raven pointed out in a monotone voice.

Naruto looked around Nora and narrowed his gaze at his mother. "Dusty old bird, I'm aware you're here. A good question is why?"

Raven huffed and jerked her head to the side. "Arrogant little brat, I don't have to tell you anything."

Tai chuckled. "Your mother was worried shitless about you, so she asked me to tag along and make sure you were okay." The blond father explained, which earned a glare from Raven. "But we weren't much help. If it wasn't for Nora you wouldn't be here right now! Though why don't you two come over here and take a seat."

Naruto and Nora both stood to their feet and walked over to the table. Then by taking their own seats Raven was the first to speak.

"So brat, how did it feel to fight Salem?"

"I've never faced a foe like her before." The blond began in a low defeated tone, while he balled his fists. "I mean even with my power and relic I was no match for her. Plus I couldn't help but feel like she was holding back. And one thing about her has been bothering me."

Nora titled her head. "Are you sure about that?"

Naruto merely nodded. "She was toying with me the whole time we fought. And why wouldn't she? She's obviously powerful and has lived centuries without anyone to challenge her power. She probably gets some kind of sick pleasure out of prolonging a fight and tormenting her opponents. Besides all she did during our fight was use her strange tendrils and regenerate her injuries. Who's to say she doesn't have more tricks up her sleeve? Honestly she might be unbeatable. . ."

Tai and Nora frowned at how defeated Naruto sounded. Though his mother had a less compassionate reaction to his behavior.

"Ninth rule of training with mommy." Raven began in a low voice.

Naruto shuddered at his mother's tone, while Nora and Taiyang looked at the mother and son with confusion.

"You talk like a little bitch." Raven began in a soft and almost too sweet voice. "You'll get beat like a little bitch."

Nora deflated. "Oh not this again." The girl mumbled.

Tai lifted his eyebrow. "Again?" The father asked, causing the Maiden to nod.

Raven gave her son a condescending smirk and leaned over the table. "Or should I bring up rule three of training with mommy?" The woman asked with a slight amusement behind her words.

Naruto held his hands out and started to shake them wildly in front of himself. "No, no, it's okay mom. I get the point."

Raven smirked and folded her arms. "Good, now let's move on. Your little partner already told me everything that had happened to you. However, I want your perspective of the whole ordeal."

Naruto sighed and began to recollect the accounts that lead up to his battle with Salem. Everything from his fight with the Faunus to him obtaining his relic. Naruto eventually finished his story with how Nora had saved him from Salem and his relic fused with his body. However, Naruto didn't share with anyone that Ren was inside his head. Since Naruto didn't know what to make of that situation yet.

"Hmmm." Tai mumbled while scratching his chin. "That's quite the tale Naruto. To think you are one of the four relic wielders. Heh that's my boy!"

Naruto grinned at his father's praise and leaned back. "Yeah I'm pretty great." The blond replied, earning a laugh from Tai and Nora. While his mother simply rolled her eyes. "But what's next? Does Oz even know about what happened during our mission?"

Nora leaned into her partner and sighed. "I've already told Professor Ozpin about what has happened. He was glad we were mostly unharmed and managed to secure the relic. He wants us to stay here for a few days and regain our strength before heading back to Beacon." The Winter Maiden explained.

Naruto nodded. "Alright so I get a few more days off from class. No complaints here!"

Tai chuckled and gave his son an eye smile. "Nora left one key thing out! I've recently quit my job at Signal to accept a new job!" The proud father began in a happy tone. "You're looking at the new teacher for combat training and advance weapon theory!"

Naruto looked at his father with a gaping mouth. "You're going back to Beacon with us? To be a fucking teacher?"

Tai folded his arms. "Language young man, you're in the presence of a young lady. . . And Raven." The older blond began, which earned a glare from one Raven Branwen. "But yes it has been brought to my attention that Salem will be making an attack on Beacon. So since my three children are students at that very school I asked Ozpin for a position!"

"I see." Naruto mumbled in a low voice. "You plan to stay around to help fight Salem's forces off at a moment's notice."

Tai nodded. "Exactly."

Naruto grinned and looked to his mother. "At least one of my parents is helpful."

Raven narrowed her gaze. "Ungrateful brat, if it wasn't for me you would have bleed out in the desert. Besides I plan to gather the tribe and assist protecting Beacon during the festival."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah up yours too you- . . . Wait did you say you were gonna help?" The blond asked in a surprised and almost happy voice.

Raven slightly nodded her head. "Yes I will be there, I won't let anyone hurt my two children."

Nora grinned wide. "You're mom is so nice Naruto!" The young girl declared.

Raven scoffed. "Why of course, I didn't buy myself all those world's best mom shirts and coffee mugs."

Naruto snorted. "Of course you didn't, your drunk ass stole all of them."

"You know what? Yang is now my favorite child!" Raven declared in an angry tone.

"Wow I'm so hurt." Naruto replied in an uncaring voice before leaning into Nora. "But who needs an old hag when I have my sweet partner Nora!"

Raven's eyebrow twitched. "Brat."

Naruto gave his mother a smirk and shrugged his shoulders. "Call me what you wish, but I've got a serious question to ask you." The blond began with a hard gaze, one that instantly grabbed his mother's attention. "What happened to our family? You and Uncle Qrow were raised with bandits, and Ozpin mentioned there being a reason for that. Even Salem mentioned something about killing off members of our family."

Raven sighed and interlocked her fingers, she then leaned forward and tried to gather her thoughts. "For centuries our family has been one of the most powerful and influential families within Vale. However, over a hundred years ago members of our family began to experience horrible deaths. Some appearing to be freak accidents while others were just straight out killed by unknown attackers. You are probably assuming by now Salem is behind these incidents. And you would be correct."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "But why would she have an interest in killing members of our family? I mean I understand we have the potential to use the power of the Relics. Though we are not the only group that fits that requirement, so what makes us so special?"

"Well for starters Salem has been known to target others who have the potential to wield a relic. However, our family was once a massive accumulation of strong fighters, wealthy nobles and other great people. In a sense our family was a major threat to her. So she had us systematically killed off one by one to fix that potential threat." Raven explained in a matter of fact tone.

Naruto nodded. "So she thinned out the Branwen bloodline into two alcoholic siblings and their offspring."

"Pretty sad huh? We were once proud warriors who served directly by the former royal family's side. Now we are two drunks and their three kids." Raven grumbled in a low tone. "Fucking bitch."

Naruto sighed and stood to his feet. "Well I'm gonna go walk around and stretch my legs. A lot has happened and in need to clear my head." The blond admitted as he stood to his feet.

Raven watched her son walk away and frowned, as her son still seemed troubled. "Hey brat." The woman began in a low tone, causing her son to face her. "I'm glad you're okay."

Naruto allowed a small smile to slip by. "Thanks mom." The boy replied before walking off.

Tai sighed and slowly pushed his chair back. "I should go talk with him. He still seems troubled."

Raven titled her head and folded her arms. "And what makes you think you should talk things out with my son?"

Tai scoffed and leaned over Raven. "Well considering I'm his father seems like a good reason. Besides it's obvious to tell something is bothering him. So step back and let me show you how a pro parent handles things."

Raven released a small condescending chuckle. "Please you may have raised two little girls, but raising a boy is a little different."

Tai glared at the mother of his children. "And what is that suppose to mean?"

"It means he won't open up to you dumbass." Raven replied in a blunt tone. "Hell that brat probably won't even open up to me."

"Then tell me, what should we do then?" Tai asked in an annoyed tone. "Not help our son?"

"Precisely." Raven answered without skipping a beat, before her gaze drifted to Nora. "The girl will go."

Nora who was silent through most of the conversation pointed to herself. "Me?" The girl asked nervously.

Raven nodded. "Yes you." The woman replied with a fierce gaze. "Now don't just sit around, get going!"

Nora jerked up straight at Raven's tone and took off. While this happened Taiyang watched the girl exit his house with a curious gaze.

"What makes you think Nora has a better chance with Naruto than either one of us?" The blond father asked.

Raven reclined back in her seat and smirked. "Because every stupid boy needs a strong woman to put him in his place." The mother began before glancing over to Tai. "You said it best after all, Naruto is your son. So look at your own relationship history."

Tai sighed at his former lover's reasoning. "I guess you have a point, except Nora is actually a nice girl. Plus she isn't an over aggressive alcoholic."

Raven brought her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. "Sticks and stones Tai, sticks and stones. Now make yourself useful and get me a drink."

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(With Naruto)

Perched on a large branch, Naruto sat high above the ground. His crimson eyes gazing out towards the vast forest landscape before him. A lot has happened in the past few days, but one detail of his exchange with Salem has bothered him since he had awoken. Naruto knew if he told his mother his observations she would brush them off. While his father just wouldn't understands, maybe his Uncle would listen to him. However, Naruto had no clue where that old drunk was.

"Those eyes and her obsession with Branwens." Naruto mumbled in a low voice. "It can't be a coincidence, or am I over thinking this?"

"Wanna talk about what has you so troubled?" Ren asked in a concerned voice.

"Not now Ren." The blond replied in a soft whisper.

"Have it your way, I'm only trying to help." The disembodied teen replied.

Naruto ran a hand through his blond locks and sighed. "Then there was her teleporting escape, but . . ."

Naruto stopped speaking as he heard a twig snap, followed by footsteps. So looking down, the young Branwen noticed his partner under his feet.

"Nora?" The teen mumbled in confusion.

Looking up the orange haired girl grinned wide. "Naruto there you are!" The girl shouted happily.

Naruto watched his partner begin to scale up the tree he was on and raised his eyebrow.

"What are you doing out here?" The blond asked.

Pulling herself up onto the branch by her partner, Nora giggled. "Well I came to check on you silly, you seemed pretty down in the dumps after all."

Naruto smiled at his partner. "Thanks Nora, I don't deserve to have such a great partner."

Nora matched her partner's smile and blushed at the compliment. "I could say the same!"

Naruto chuckled and fell into a soft silence. His mind trying to think of something to say to his partner's. "Soooo." The blond drawled out awkwardly. "You really did a number on Salem. I didn't know you were so powerful."

Nora's mouth shifted into a small half grin, while the girl looked off into the distance. "Honestly I don't know how I did it. I was so afraid that she was going to kill you and I don't know. . . It was like a switch was flipped and I turned into someone else. I probably couldn't do it again."

Naruto nodded and leaned backwards. "Regardless you have that power within yourself, we just need to find a way to harness it. Honestly some training would help us both."

"Yeah, maybe when we get back to Beacon." The Maiden purposed.

"If we want to get ready for Salem we will have to. After all she is probably making plans for us as we speak." The blond pointed out. "We will have to be on our toes from here on out."

Nora looked to her partner and frowned at the troubled face her partner bore. So she slowly placed her hand over her partner's and gave it a small squeeze. "We will be ready for her." The girl declared boldly. "As long as you're with me, I'll be ready for whatever Salem has planned."

"Me and you against that bitch. Heh, I like those odds." The blond admitted in a smug tone.

Nora grinned wide at her partner's words, causing Naruto's heart to skip a beat. He then looked into his partner's eyes with his fiery red gaze. The two then shared a small silent moment, before their heads slowly inched closer.

Nora instinctively closed her eyes, while a large blush appeared on her face. Naruto watched this action and leaned in some more. However, right as their lips were mere inches apart. Naruto's face became as red as his eyes and he placed both his hands on Nora's shoulders.

"Ren's in my head!" The boy declared in a flustered voice.

Opening her eyes Nora looked to her partner with confusion and a little disappointment. Since she really wanted to kiss her partner, due to the feelings she had for the blond. Ren on the other hand merely sighed inside Naruto's head.

"Smooth Naruto, she is probably upset with you and thinks you're lying." Ren pointed out in a monotone voice.

However, to Ren and Naruto's shock the girl placed her hands to Naruto's ear and peered inside. "Ren can you hear me? It's me Nora!" The girl declared in a happy voice. "Hello! Are you ignoring me?"

"She believes you?!" Ren shouted in Naruto's head.

Said blond cocked his head to the side. "Wait you believe me? Just like that?"

Nora gave her partner a funny look and nodded. "Yeah why wouldn't I?" The girl asked before laughing to herself. "I can tell when you're lying. Hehe, you do this little cute thing with your nose when you do!"

"I do not!" Naruto replied loudly, while his nose rotated to the right.

"There it is!" Nora laughed loudly, while she pointed a finger at the blond.

Naruto grumbled and jerked his head to the side. "Okay you might have a point."

"There is no question about it, Nora is right. Though the whole cute thing is debatable." Ren argued in a flat voice. "I think you look a little goofy."

"Fuck you Ren." The blond mumbled in an angry voice.

Nora giggled at her partner. "Sounds like you two get along." The girl pointed out. "Mind telling me how this happened?"

"To be honest I don't know." The blond answered. "Ever since I touched my relic a bunch of strange stuff has happened. I can't use my family techniques and Ren being in my head is some of the main ones. I figure Oz would be able to help me figure out what is happening."

Nora nodded and placed her legs on the branch, then by releasing a loud laugh she started to hang upside down. "Well whatever is happening I'm glad!" Nora declared in a cheerful voice. "I got Ren back, sorta. And he's in the body of my best friend!"

Naruto nodded. "Yup." The blond replied in a emotionless tone, while his gaze was focused directly towards Nora exposed pink panties.

"Don't look you pervert!" Ren yelled loudly.

Naruto laughed and kept his gaze down. "I have no clue what you're talking about Ren." The boy replied.

Nora looked up as she heard her partner, but as their eyes met the girl turned completely red. "Ahhhhh! Stop looking!" The girl shouted as she pushed her skirt up.

"I wasn't!" Naruto lied, as his nose moved to the right.

"Liar!" Nora and Ren shouted together. Though to be honest only one of the two actually cared about Naruto sneaking a peek. That of course was Ren, while Nora was actually glad she caught her partner looking at her unmentionables. It at least meant he had some kind of interest with her. Which worked well for the girl who had serious feelings for her partner.

"Okay maybe I looked a little." Naruto admitted with a slight chuckle.

Nora took a leap off the branch and looked up to her partner with folded arms. "That's not a very good apology buster. You owe me some pancakes!"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and took a jump to the ground below. "Alright fine." The blond replied.

Nora grinned. "And if they are good enough maybe you'll get another peek." The girl replied with a small wink.

Naruto was left behind with an open jaw. While Ren was left speechless inside Naruto's head.

"Don't get any ideas Naruto." Ren instructed in a stern voice.

Though it was too late, as the young Branwen already got plenty of ideas inside his young mind. Then we he coupled it together with every interaction Naruto has had with Nora. The blond asked himself one question, did he really have feelings for Nora.

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Chapter End.

And here is next chapter of the story and the wrap up for volume one. A lot has happened and I'm getting excited to start the next chapter which will be the transition into volume 2! Also some of you may notice some Seven Deadly Sins elements. Truth be told I love that series and I was torn between making a RWBY or SDS crossover. As you can tell I made the Lucky Branwen, but I decided to include some things into the universe. And before you ask yes there is more, as one person is already being hinted to become a man who stands above all others.

For now I will be focusing on finishing the update for Jump City Assassin. So that should be out soon.

Finally don't know if any of you have read my Fairy Tail crossover, but I'm doing away with it. The series has really annoyed me for awhile and I can't find myself to write that story anymore. So with that being said I would like to keep 3 stories going on at once. So I was wanting to get your guys opinion on a new story. Here is a few ideas I have.

A Naruto story. (Basic summary)

AU where Kushina was Itachi's Jonin sensei. After killing his clan to avoid a rebellion within the village, Itachi flees. However, he remembers a promise he made to protect his sensei's son. So seeing the neglect Naruto endures without any intervention from the Hokage. The young rogue Uchiha takes Naruto away from the village. Taking him under his wing and as a result makes Naruto into one of the strongest Shinobi to ever live. While at the same time they work together as criminals whose soul purpose is to bring peace to the world.

Naruto X Fu

ItachiX? (Konan) (Yugao) (Yugito) (Mei) (suggestion)

Second idea Naruto and Hunter X Hunter

(Basic summary)

Naruto was born as an orphan from Meteor City. He was a weak boy who was always being protected by his best friend Machi. A girl that he came to admire and love. But when she abandons him to join the Phantom Troupe he is determined to crush the spiders to save the girl he loves from walking down a self destructive path. However Naruto is too weak to do anything, that is until an old man with a heart t-shirt takes him as an apprentice. Modeling Naruto into the world's strongest man. Picks up right at the Hunter exam arc where Naruto will be a mentor for Gon and Killua. While he also has a small past and odd friendship with Hisoka.

Naruto x Machi

Or Naruto X (suggestion) depending on where I would take the story.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10. New Faces

Finally returning back to Beacon from their mission, Naruto and Nora were walking together at a modest pace. Their destination was Ozpin's office, as the two young hunters had a lot to discuss with their headmaster. Leading the two partners in their walk was Taiyang, who was surprisingly silent throughout their walk. Though the small dog by his side was making plenty of noise while it barked at everything they passed by.

Though eventually the man looked over his shoulder and glanced to his son. "Hey I'm going to take my things to my new room. Plus I gotta get Zwei some dog food. So why don't you guys head up to meet Ozpin without me?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and grabbed a flask out of his clothing. "Alright sounds good." The blond mumbled before taking a large drink. "Come on Nora."

Choosing to finally give up on keeping her partner sober, Nora nodded. "Okay Naruto!"

Taiyang smiled as he watched the two walk off. "Come on Zwei let's go as well."

"Woof!" The small dog replied, while he ran circles around his blond owner.

Over with Naruto and Nora, the two were currently approaching the elevator to Ozpin's office. As Naruto moved his hand forward to touch the elevator button, a voice spoke up inside his head.

"Naruto do you have a moment to talk?" Ren asked.

Naruto rolled his eyes. 'Why does it matter what I say? Either way you're gonna say what you want.'

Ren chuckled. "Fair point, but in all seriousness I want to talk about my weapons."

'What about them?' The blond asked in thought, as he was slightly curious as to what Ren had to say now.

"I'd like you to have them." Ren revealed in a happy tone. "Use them or break them down and fuse them with Kitsune. Either way I'd like you to have them, that way a piece of me can help you fight. And in some way I can be useful in defending Nora and Beacon from Salem."

"I'll talk with Nora about it." Naruto spoke out loud, so he could speak to Ren and get Nora's attention at the same time.

"What do you wanna talk about?" Nora asked in a curious voice.

The elevator to Ozpin's office sliding open, Naruto and Nora entered and pressed the up button. "Me and Ren were talking, he wants me to have Stormflower."

"Oh, okay!" The Winter Maiden replied in a cheery voice. "After we talk to Ozpin I'll give them to you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You're okay with me having them? I mean if you're against it I won't take them."

Nora shook her head. "No they deserve to be put in good use. Besides they are Ren's, so if he wants you to have them I have no issue with it."

Naruto smiled at his partner. "Alright, I promise to put them to good use."

Nora returned her partner's smile. "I know you will." The girl replied, while the door to the elevator slid open. Revealing their headmaster seated at his desk, while his assistant Glynda was by his side.

"Naruto, Nora! Please come over here." Ozpin instructed from the comfort of his desk. "Let's talk about your mission."

Taking a few steps forward Naruto and Nora quickly found themselves standing across their headmaster.

"Well Oz." Naruto began in an exhausted tone, while lifting up his shirt to reveal the fox mark on his body. "Mission accomplished."

Ozpin nodded. "So it would seem. I believe congratulations are in order for the both of you. Not only did you stop a small gathering of White Fang, but you obtained a relic and survived an encounter with Salem herself."

Naruto scoffed. "At the cost of Salem discovering who Nora and I are. Which means me and her are definitely on Salem's hit list now."

Nora frowned at her partner's words. "But at least we learned a few things about her abilities."

Naruto nodded. "You're right, but there is still a lot of mystery revolving around her." The young Branwen declared before pointing at Ozpin. "And I have a bunch of questions for your ass!"

Glynda glared at Naruto. "Show some respect."

"Glynda, it's fine." Ozpin interjected before looking to Naruto. "I'm more than happy to help in any way I can."

Naruto folded his arms. "My parents and Nora already told you a bulk of what happened on the mission. However, I've been keeping something to myself for awhile now." The blond admitted.

Nora looked to her partner with a confused face, while Ozpin merely folded his hands together.

"What is it?" The older huntsman asked.

Naruto placed a hand through his hair and sighed. "Salem had red eyes, could use teleportation just like me and mom. And for some reason she has a certain fixation on people from the Branwen family." The blond explained in a low voice. "Do you see where I'm getting at Oz? There is some connection between that woman and my family."

Ozpin frowned, having some connection with that woman would cause some alarm in anyone who knew about her. So Ozpin could understand why Naruto seemed agitated about the subject.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but not much is truly known about Salem. She's been a mystery for decades. . . Honestly your encounter has acquired more information about Salem than we've ever gotten. So to be truthful I don't know about her having any connection to your family. So I can't really be much help with any questions you have involving her and your family." Ozpin explained in a matter of fact tone.

Naruto looked to the side and silently cursed, as he at least wanted a better response than that.

"Naruto." Nora began in a worried voice. "Why didn't you talk to me about this?"

The blond shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't want to bother you with my silly suspicions." Naruto explained truthfully before looking to Ozpin. "Now next question, is it possible for someone to die and their soul to go into someone else's body?"

Looking away from Naruto and to her headmaster, Nora gauged his reaction to the question. Ozpin seemed mildly intrigued and rubbed the bottom of his chin.

"Well there is an old legend, but I've never known it to be true or not." Ozpin explained in a simple tone. "Though I must say, this is a random question. So what brings it up?"

"There is a dead guy in my head." The blond admitted bluntly.

"You could use my name Naruto." Ren grumbled inside Naruto's head.

"Hmm this is an interesting development." Ozpin mumbled. "According to the legend when someone of strong aura dies and their spirit doesn't feel at rest. Their soul will travel into a person who can help finish whatever mortal task they have left unfinished."

Naruto folded his arms. "So to get this guy out of my head I gotta finish whatever shit he couldn't?" The blond asked in an annoyed voice, causing Ozpin to nod. "Great. . ."

Nora folded her arms. "Any idea what's keeping Ren here?"

Naruto glanced over his partner and sighed. "I have an idea." The blond admitted, but instead of elaborating he turned his attention to Ozpin. "Last thing Oz, for some reason I cant use my family techniques anymore. I can't teleport or even use my animal morphing. And the problems started once I got this!" The blond finished while pointing to his fox mark.

Ozpin folded his hands together. "Hmm, that's an interesting turn of events. To my knowledge your relic should have merged with your body and caused your body to undergo some . . . changes. However, I doubt you no longer have the ability to use them. Perhaps they are just altered like your new semblance. So it stands to reason you may need to relearn how to use your techniques, or maybe perform then in a different way."

Naruto placed a hand to his chin and frowned. It wasn't a direct answer, but it gave him a few things to think on.

"Wait hold on." Nora began in a confused voice. "You can teleport and turn into an animal?"

His cheeks turning red, the normally prideful teenager looked away. "Most Branwen's can animal morph. Mom and Uncle Qrow can turn into birds for example."

"And you?" Nora quickly asked.

Naruto coughed and kept his gaze to the wall. "I just get fox ears and a nose bleed." The teen admitted in an embarrassed voice.

"Bwhahahahaha!" Nora began as she erupted in laughter. Then as she held her sides Naruto turned to his partner with a glare.

"Transforming into an animal is harder than you think!" The blond tried to defend himself, causing a snicker from Ozpin and Glynda.

"Heheheh." Nora snickered while she placed her hands on top of Naruto's head. "He gets little foxy ears."

A vein popping on Naruto's head, the young teenager gritted his teeth. "It's not that funny."

"I beg to differ." Ren argued.

"Eat a dick Ren!" Naruto shouted, causing Nora to laugh even more. While Ozpin and Glynda just gave the boy an odd look.

Deciding her partner had enough teasing, Nora's laughter died down and she leaned into the blond. Causing the slightest blush to cross his face at their closeness.

"Oh calm down Naruto, you know I'm only messing with you. Besides I bet you look good with fox ears." The orange haired girl complemented with a small wink.

Naruto rolled his eyes and childishly mumbled a whatever to his partner. Causing their headmaster to laugh at the two.

"I'm glad with everything that has happened the two of you haven't changed." Ozpin began in a happy tone. "However, now it's time I tell you about what happened in your absence. Or to be more precise, the trouble Team RWBY found themselves in."

Naruto lifted his eyebrow. "Trouble?" The blond mumbled.

Ozpin nodded and sighed. "They are unaware that I know, but they recently had a run in with one Roman Torchwick. A notorious dust thief who was working with the White Fang. They were loading stolen shipments of dust to Oum knows where. And your sisters engaged Roman, who along with his White Fang accomplices got away."

Naruto's blood ran cold, stolen dust, the White Fang and a big time criminal. All involved in a situation with his two sisters. All leading Naruto to the conclusion that his sisters were getting involved in something they should stay out of, a thought he didn't like one bit.

"Ozpin." Naruto spoke using his name in a rare form of seriousness. "I want every detail you can give me."

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(Beacon Cafeteria)

Yang narrowed her eyes while she glanced to her three teammates. Currently the four girls were seated alone and had no one around to listen in on their conversation.

"So it's been a few days since the incident at the pier." The blond twin began in a casual tone.

Weiss lifted her eyebrow. "And your point for bringing that up?"

Yang rolled her eyes at the question. "Well are we ever gonna talk about what happened? Or a better question of what is happening with the White Fang and that Torchwick guy?"

Blake who was obviously troubled and slightly sleep deprived frowned. "What is there to talk about? We know the White Fang is working with Roman Torchwick, but we don't know why. But what we need to do is put a stop to whatever he is doing. That is what is important here."

Yang held her arms out wide. "Which is exactly why I'm bringing this up Blake."

Ruby slowly played with the food on her tray. "But what can we do? We are just four academy students. . . Maybe we should tell Ozpin or someone who could help." The girl tried to reason in a nervous voice.

Yang waved her sister off. "Ozpin is too busy with the school and the festival. Besides where is your sense of adventure Rubes? Don't you wanna stop the bad guys like an actual huntress?"

Ruby still seemed sceptical and nervous about her sister's eagerness. Though she did share the sentiment of wanting to do the right thing and act like a real huntress. After all, being a huntress who helped people and defeated evil is her dream. So she was slightly swayed to her sister's side.

"Okay, but why don't we bring Naruto and his team into this? I'm sure Naruto and Nora will be back soon. And our brother could be a big help!" Ruby purposed to their team.

"There is no point in trying to convince Naruto to help us. You know how he is Ruby, our brother doesn't like charity cases." Yang explained in a low tone. "He won't want to help stop some dust thieves."

Ruby crossed her arms and frowned. "He would too help. You're just saying that because you're still mad at him!"

Yang tightened her fists and slammed the lunch table. Causing the lunches of Team RWBY to rattle. "There will be sibling warfare!"

Weiss nodded. "Agreed, and I will gladly assist in whatever you have planned." The ice queen declared, displaying she too held a grudge against Naruto.

Blake rolled her eyes. "You two have fun with that."

"Have fun with what?" A soft and curious voice asked.

Team RWBY collectively glanced over to Pyrrha, who was slowly taking a seat at their table. While her partner Jaune joined in by her side.

Ruby snorted. "Same old same, Weiss and Yang just have it out for Naruto."

Pyrrha gave an honest light hearted laugh. "Still mad about him stealing away your sap? I'd expect a grudge from Weiss, but I didn't know you cared about your grades so much Yang."

"It has nothing to do about my grades!" The blond twin declared before balling her fist. "My brother got one over me and that's unacceptable! So I won't rest until I get my payback!"

Everyone present looked to the girl with a sweat drop. As it appeared Yang and Naruto despite being raised apart still had a strong sibling rivalry. A rivalry that was very similar to the relationship of their mother and her own twin.

"Well speaking of your brother." Jaune began in a casual tone. "I still can't believe him and Nora took off without even telling us."

Pyrrha sighed. "Yes I agree with Jaune. I too was disappointed to learn of their whereabouts from the four of you."

Yang shrugged her shoulders. "He's a lot like my mom. And though I never met the woman, my Uncle Qrow said she would often take off without informing anyone."

"Ether that or he wanted to hurry up and get some alone time with Nora." Blake pointed out in a suggestive tone.

Ruby, Yang, Pyrrha and even Weiss giggled at what the young Faunus had said. Though Jaune was a different story, he glanced around the five girls with a slight hint of confusion.

"What are you guys talking about?" The team leader asked innocently.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed the attraction between my brother and Nora? I swear those two are probably fucking each other's brains out right now."

"Yang!" Ruby yelled in a flustered voice, while her face turned a bright red. "Don't talk about our brother like that!"

"Awww Ruby's embarrassed!" Yang teased as she pinched the younger girl's red cheeks.

"It's weird!" Ruby declared in a hasty voice. "I don't want to picture our brother like that, it's gross!"

Yang nodded as she too had to agree the actual mental image of her brother having sex wasn't one she wanted to invision. So she decided to drop the conversation, but Jaune on the other hand wouldn't get off the topic so easy.

"Wait, let's back track." Jaune began in a non believing tone. "You mean Naruto and Nora have a thing for each other? I thought they were just friends."

Weiss huffed. "How dense can you be Jaune? Obviously you can't even notice when one person has romantic feelings for someone else."

Jaune leaned over the table and grinned. "I have no clue what you mean ice flower. I can easily see the connection me and you have." The boy replied with a confident wink.

Pyrrha looked down while Weiss rolled her eyes at the boy. Displaying how each girl felt towards the young Arc.

"In your dreams." Weiss retorted in an annoyed tone.

"You're already in my dreams beautiful." Jaune quickly replied, causing the entirety of team RWBY minus Ruby to groan. While the latter simply laughed at the boy's poor attempts to flirt.

"You're an idiot." Weiss insulted causing Jaune to hang his head.

Pyrrha smiled and placed her hand onto her partner's back. "But he has a good heart." The girl declared, trying to lift the boy's spirits. "And I'm sure a girl will notice that one day."

Jaune glanced up to his partner and smiled. "Thanks Pyrrha." The boy replied in an honest tone. "I'm glad to have such a good friend like you."

"Not to break up the mood or anything." Blake began, before she pointed off into the distance. "But Naruto and Nora are back."

Her head snapping forward, Yang zeroed her gaze onto her brother. The latter of whom was having a carefree conversation with his partner. "Well if I'm not the daughter of a bitch. I spy the son of the same bitch." The girl growled before taking a handful of food from her plate.

"Um Yang." Ruby began in a nervous tone. "I wouldn't if I were you."

"I agree with Ruby you should stop right there." Blake added in.

Though her advice fell onto deaf ears, as Yang hurled the food in her hand towards an unsuspecting Naruto.

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(Moments earlier with Naruto)

"Those idiots!" Naruto yelled loudly, while he and Nora walked through the empty hallways of Beacon. "What were they thinking!"

Nora chuckled nervously at her partner's rage. "It's not that bad, especially when you compare it to the trouble we got into. I mean we fought Salem, that's about as bad as it can get."

"That's not the point!" Naruto declared. "The White Fang and members of the criminal underground are connected to Salem. So by my idiot sisters messing with those two groups, they automatically stumble dangerously close to Salem. That's something I don't want. I joined up with Ozpin to protect those two, not watch them get hurt!"

"Well what's done is done. There is not much we can do now." Nora replied in a low voice. "All we can do now is ensure they don't do nothing like this again."

"Exactly! That's why I'm gonna tear those two and their teammates a new one!" Naruto revealed.

Nora sighed and placed a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Naruto we can't do that. Because if we confront them they will ask how we found out. Then they may learn that we secretly work for Ozpin. And then we just end up with your sisters getting mad and maybe even learning about Salem."

"Okay, so what should we do then?" The blond quickly asked.

Nora raised her finger into the air and grinned. "That's easy, we stop the threat before they can. If me and you can stop the White Fang and this Torchwick guy ourselves, it means your sisters won't be involved because there won't be any trouble for them to find."

Naruto smirked and wrapped his arms around his partner, then by squeezing Nora he lifted the girl high into the air.

"Nora you're a genius!" Naruto began in a giddy tone. "But doing this won't be easy."

Nora looked down towards her partner with a soft gaze. "It never is, but we have each other to make it work." The Maiden declared.

Naruto chuckled and placed his partner back down. "Well me and you are gonna be busy."

"Yeah, but we can handle it. After all, we are the great Winter Maiden and her cute little foxy eared partner!" Nora began before bursting into a giggle fit, causing a vein to pop on Naruto's head.

"One I can't even animal morph anymore. Two you've never seen me do it. So stop making fun of me for it!" The blond shouted loudly.

Nora continued to giggle and slightly moved her finger forward. Then by poking her partner's nose she smiled. "Will you stop drinking?"

"No!" The blond answered firmly.

"Well if you won't stop drinking I won't stop teasing." The orange haired girl revealed.

Naruto sighed and slumped over. "Could you at least only do it when we are alone? I really don't want anyone finding out about how I suck at animal morphing. Especially Yang."

Walking slowly towards the cafeteria Nora gave her partner a sly grin. "Well you'll have to sweeten the deal for that to happen."

Naruto groaned as he instantly understood what Nora meant. "Black mail." The blond began in a tone that was both proud and annoyed. "How many pancakes a day?"

"A lot." Was the vague answer he received.

Entering the cafeteria Naruto glared at his partner. "I might be the greediest person alive, but you're the exact definition of gluttony."

Nora shrugged her shoulders. "We each have our sins." The girl replied in a lighthearted tone. "But you already know that my little Fox Sin of Greed."

Naruto stood still and smirked. "Heh, I actually kinda like that. Naruto Branwen the Fox Sin of Greed." The blond began before pointing to his partner. "But what does that make you I wonder?"

Nora was about to reply to her partner, but as a large cluster of food smacked her partner's face she started to giggle. Then as the food started to trail down the boy's face a triumphant laugh pieced the loud cafeteria.

"Oh someone is fucking dead." Naruto began before looking towards his unknown attacker. His eyes then burst to life in a fiery rage as he noticed it was his sister Yang.

His twin had her foot perched on her lunch table, while she pointed a finger at her brother. "It's sibling warfare time you blond asshole!"

Naruto growled and his hair overshadowed his eyes. "Nora are you with me?"

Said girl gave the blond a salute. "Absolutely, let's break their legs!"

Naruto grinned and held his outstretched arm towards a lunch table filled with poor unsuspecting students. "Good, cause things are gonna get wild in here."

Nora feeling a small build up of power from her partner sweatdropped and laughed nervously. "Naruto you're not gonna go overboard and do what I think you're doing?"

 **"Snatch."** The blond mumbled before lifting an entire table of food with his semblance off the ground. Then by smirking to himself, Naruto sent the table towards his partner. "Nora, smash."

Rolling her eyes Nora kicked the entire table towards Yang and team RWBY. Causing all the girl to shriek, while also being covered in dozens of unfinished meals.

"You know Naruto." Nora began in an exhausted tone. "You have a bad habit of using your semblance for trivial things."

Naruto scoffed. "Says the girl who uses her maiden powers to freeze my alcohol." The blond retorted in a near silent voice.

"That's fair." Nora began before she noticed team RWBY and even Jaune and Pyrrha recover from the attack. "But looks like Yang isn't done and it also seems her teammates along with ours are with her."

Naruto glanced over to Nora with a cocky smirk. "Me and you against everyone, it almost doesn't seem fair." The blond declared in a cocky tone.

Nora grinned and nudged her partner. "Just don't make me have to save your ass again." The girl teased.

Naruto laughed and ran forward and with Nora by his side, sparking the largest food fight Beacon had ever seen. Quickly most students fled the area in fear, as things were quite violent. This was mainly due to Naruto and Nora not pulling any punches with their food based assaults.

Yang was eventually sent through the roof by Nora, while Blake and Weiss were quickly plastered onto the wall with eating utensils by Naruto. Ruby tried her best to fight her older brother, but the boy simply used his semblance to steal her energy and bury her under an assortment of deserts. Finally there was Pyrrha and Jaune, the former of the two was currently wielding a piece of bread and engaging in battle with Nora. While Jaune, well let's just say things were not going well for Jaune.

"Naruto stop." Jaune begged, as like Weiss and Blake he was pinned to the cafeteria wall. However, unlike the two girls his torment didn't stop there.

This was because Naruto was holding a large wooden spoon and using it as a makeshift baseball bat. While he used various fruit and vegetables as projectiles that he hit towards the defenseless boy.

"Never traitor!" The blond declared before taking a drink from his flask. "You took Yang's side, so you must pay!"

An apple striking Jaune's face the boy let out a loud groan of pain. This of course caused Phyrra to sigh.

"Naruto's drunk isn't he?" The red head began, while she tried to strike her teammate with her bread sword.

Nora blocked the attack and laughed. "He's always drunk." The girl replied in a cheery voice.

"So I've noticed, but I'm glad you're back. Did you enjoy Shade Academy?" The girl asked casually, acting in a friendly manner. Almost like she wasn't in the middle of an all out food war.

Nora shrugged her shoulders. "It was an eventful trip. I'm just glad to be back home."

Pyrrha nodded and leaned backwards. "That's good, me and Jaune missed you both.

Though I'm sad you left without telling us."

"Hehe, sorry about that. The mission was last second and Ozpin didn't give us a lot of time." Nora explained before grinning wide. "By the way Pyrrha, you should pay attention to your backside."

"What are you-. . ." Pyrrha began while turning around, but once a large pie smashed into her face she was silenced. Though her silence was followed by the drunken laughter of Naruto.

"And then there was only two." Naruto declared in a happy voice

"Does that means it's over?" Jaune asked from the side wall.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched and he grabbed an apple off the ground. "Don't talk traitor!" The blond shouted before beaming Jaune in the head. Earning a loud groan of pain from the team leader.

Nora giggled at her partner and pinched his cheek. "You're a terrible drunk like always." The girl insulted before looking over to Jaune. "But I think we are done now."

"Thank Oum. . . Owww! Stop with the damn apple-. . . Ow shit!" Jaune yelled as he was still being hit by his drunk teammate.

"Naruto, leave Jaune alone." Nora instructed in a firm tone, but the bubbly laugh she let out after showed she wasn't too serious.

"Fine whatever." The blond mumbled, while he fished out his favorite flask and took a drink. Then by staggering backwards he looked up at the giant hole in the ceiling. "This should be about right."

"What are you talking about?" Nora asked.

Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but a much more angry voice spoke before him.

"Children!" Glynda shouted as she began to rearrange the cafeteria herself. While slowly stomping in the direction of Naruto and Nora. "Don't. Play. With your food."

Glancing to the woman Naruto noticed Ozpin was standing by her side. "I'll keep that in mind." The blond replied before the screaming of another blond grabbed his attention. "Calm your shit I got you." Naruto mumbled before catching his twin.

Glynda tightened her fists at the young boy's tone and disrespect. Though the soft touch of Ozpin caused her to slightly relax.

"Let it go Glynda." The aged hunter advised.

Looking over Team JNNP and Team RWBY who were all covered in food and giggling sighed. "They are the defenders of the world, but they don't take anything serious."

"They are just children, so let's allow them to play the part. It's a luxury they won't have forever." Ozpin pointed out before walking off.

"I guess you're right." Glynda mumbled before following after her boss.

Over with Naruto the eldest twin was smiling wide and holding his sister in his arms. The latter of whom wasn't happy with her twin.

"So sis, care to admit your defeat?" Naruto asked.

"Never, we are just at a temporary truce." The younger twin grumbled, while she slowly pushed herself out of her brother's arms.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say sis." The elder sibling replied, before he staggered back from a small red blur. Then by glancing down to his side he noticed the food coated Ruby latched onto his arm.

"Did you miss me? Did you miss me!" Ruby asked loudly, while she looked up to her brother with two wide silver eyes.

Naruto looked down to the little ball of energy and smiled. After his run in with Salem and everything that has happened he could only think of one thing.

"Yeah kiddo." Naruto began softly before ruffling Ruby's hair, earning a soft giggle from the girl. "I did."

Yang grinned and wrapped an arm around her brother. "And you missed me too right!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at his twin. "Not in the slightest."

"What's that suppose to mean jerk!" Yang yelled as her gentle hold turned into a chokehold. An action that caused her brother to tug on her hair, while Ruby tried to play peace maker with the two.

Pyrrha sighed and let a small smile pass her lips. "Well it's good to see things are back to normal." Though as Yang slammed her brother into a table Pyrrha cringed a little. "Though maybe that's not the best of things."

Nora slapped her friend on the back and grinned. "Aww you know that you missed us!" The girl declared in a happy voice.

"A little." Pyrrha replied with a small wink.

Weiss huffed and looked away. "I actually enjoyed not having Naruto around." The white haired girl admitted before glancing to Nora. "Though I'm glad you're back Nora, but you could have at least left Naruto at Shade Academy."

Nora giggled at the girl's words and shook her head. She was about to make a comment towards Weiss, but someone else beat her to the punch.

"That. Was. Awesome!" A voice unfamiliar to Nora shouted.

"Sun!" Blake greeted in a surprised and happy voice. Causing Nora to lift her eyebrow and look towards the monkey Faunus, who was covered in food and standing next to another unfamiliar boy. The later of whom was also covered head to toe in food scraps.

"Ladies." Sun began in a lighthearted tone. "Been staying out of trouble?"

"Who's this guy?" Nora asked in a confused voice, as she didn't recognize the boy.

Blake perked up slightly. "That's right you guys haven't met Sun." The black haired girl explained before pointing to her friend. "Everyone this is Sun and Sun these are our friends Team JNNP."

"Nice to meet you guys." Sun began before motioning to the boy by his side. "This is my friend Neptune. Nep these are the girl's I was telling you about. Meet Blake and Weiss. Oh and over there is Yang and Ruby."

Neptune folded his arms and smiled, causing a small twinkle to gleam off his teeth. "Sup."

Nora grinned. "The names Nora." The orange haired girl introduced.

Pyrrha gave the two a friendly wave. "Hello, I'm Pyrrha."

Jaune nodded his head towards the new boy's. "And I'm their leader Jaune."

"Nice to meet you guys, but who's the poor soul getting choked out by Yang?" Sun asked with an awkward chuckle.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "That's Yang's annoying twin brother."

"Yang and Ruby have a brother?" Sun asked in a surprised voice.

Blake smirked and folded her arms. "Yup that's Naruto, Beacon's strongest student."

"And beacon's resident drunk, thief and annoying bastard!" Weiss added in.

"Aww Naruto isn't that bad Weiss." Nora began with a laugh behind her voice before looking over to Naruto. "Hey Naruto come over here and say hello to Sun and Neptune."

Hearing Nora's request, Naruto easily flipped Yang off his body and casually walked to the Winter Maiden's side. "I already heard you guys talking, you're quite loud. Also Weiss." Naruto began before holding up his middle finger. "Love you too."

Weiss huffed and looked away from the blond. "You know I'm right." The girl declared.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever Ice Queen, but it's nice to meet you guys. Like you've been told I'm Yang's twin Naruto."

Sun held a hand out to the blond. "And I'm Sun."

Naruto nodded and glanced over to Neptune, the latter of whom was looking towards his sisters with his normal bright smile. Yang was on her back from being tossed by Naruto, while Ruby was trying to aid her sister. "Find something you like pretty boy."

Neptune's eyes shot open wide and he looked towards Naruto like a fish out of water. "Ummm no, I'm mean yes. Wait no!"

Naruto laughed at the boy and grabbed his flask. "Don't let me catch you looking at Ruby again." The boy began before taking a large drink from his flask. "Because then I'd have to kill you."

Neptune gulped, while sun laughed. "And what about Yang?" The monkey Faunus asked.

Naruto snorted. "Like I give a shit if you check her out." The boy replied bluntly.

Sun lifted his eyebrow. "You and your twin have an interesting relationship."

Nora laughed and wrapped her arm around her partner. "Naruto and Yang are the type of twins that argue who was the buy one and who was the get the other free."

"I see." Sun replied in a flat voice.

Naruto laughed and glanced over to Nora, he then moved his gaze to Sun and Neptune. He then shifted his drunken gaze between the three teens a few times. "Oh and so we are clear if you make a pass at my partner. Well let's just say I'm very creative with my blades."

Nora rolled her eyes at her obviously drunk partner. The latter of whom was still drinking out of his flask. Which honestly made the girl wonder if that thing was bottomless.

"Like I said earlier, you're an awful drunk." Nora insulted with a small sigh.

Naruto grinned. "But at least I'm fun!" The blond declared before a light bulb went off in his head. "Oh and a rule about Weiss. . ."

"We get it, she's off limits." Sun began in a small laugh. "Trust me we won't hit on her."

Naruto laughed. "Hit on her? Please, I'm just warning you I'm the only one who gets to insult that up tight bitch."

"Hey!" Weiss yelled at the boy, earning a laugh from everyone else.

Jaune held a hand to his chest. "Naruto how could you be so mean to such a delicate snow angel?" Jaune asked in a surprised voice, while also winking at Weiss. "Plus why have you never gave me these rules?"

Naruto laughed and rotated his flask around in the air. "Cause you practically worship the ground the Ice Queen walks on. And there is no way you have a chance with my little sister or Nora. So threatening you isn't necessary."

Jaune hung his head. "I don't know if I should feel hurt or glad? On one hand that was a brutal insult, but on the other hand I'm not on your hit list."

Pyrrha smiled and patted her friends back. "I'd lean towards the latter if I were you."

Naruto staggered backwards a little bit. "That's the spirit, but if you want to feel included I could kick your ass for fun!"

"I'm good!" Jaune yelped in response, earning a drunk laugh from Naruto.

Said blond then turned to Pyrrha and grinned. "What about you red? We haven't fought before, wanna take a go at me?"

A sweat drop rolled down Pyrrha's head, while Nora pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Um Naruto, I believe in your current state we shouldn't fight." The redhead began in a rational voice. "Maybe when you sober up."

"I'll have you know!" Naruto took a pause and staggered around a little. He then furrowed his brow, showing his drunk mind was having trouble finishing his thought. Next he turned on his heel and pointed at Weiss. "You're an annoying bitch!"

"And you're a useless drunk!" The white haired girl yelled back, while releasing a snarl under her breath.

Though her snarl turned into a whimper as a kitchen knife Naruto had stowed away went blazing past her head. This caused Naruto to give out an obnoxious laugh, while Nora took a long sigh.

"Okay." Nora began in an exhausted voice, as she wrapped an arm around Naruto's neck. "You're done for the day."

"Damn I missed her." Naruto mumbled before glancing over to an angry Nora. This caused Naruto to give his partner a dumbass drunken smile. "You're pretty when you get mad."

Nora blushed and tightened her arm around her partner's neck. Jerking his body lower to the ground and closer to her own. "Idiot." The girl mumbled as she started to drag him off.

Everyone present watched the two partners walk off with sweat drops. As the interactions of Naruto and Nora were always something to see.

"They're an interesting pair." Sun commented with an awkward laugh.

Blake nodded. "You don't know the half of it."

Neptune gave his new friends an awkward glance. "Does he always drink this early in the morning?" The teen asked, which earned a sigh from Ruby.

"I don't think I've seen my big brother sober once." The youngest of the teens admitted. "He's got a problem."

"You can say that again." Yang added in, her voice sounding annoyed by her twins habit. "Hopefully Nora can set that idiot straight."

"That would be a challenge." A familiar voice to Ruby and Yang spoke up. Causing both girls eyes to beam with excitement, as they spun around to see the smiling face of their father. "Your brother is just like Raven. Stubborn, aggressive and a terrible drunk. I feel sorry for poor Nora having to deal with him. After all, I was once in her shoes so I can relate."

Everyone besides his children looked at the rugged man with confusion. All wondering what the unfamiliar man was doing at Beacon's cafeteria. Though Yang and Ruby quickly sprung onto Tai and wrapped themselves around their father.

"Dad it's so good to see you!" Ruby cheered happily, causing everyone to be surprised to see the father of the three siblings.

Tai laughed. "It's only been a few weeks since I last saw you, but I missed you too."

Yang giggled. "What are you doing down here?"

Tai smirked. "Well I've recently accepted a new job. You're looking at your new teacher, Professor Xiao Long!" The spiky haired father declared.

Ruby started to squeal in excitement, while she jumped in place. Yang on the other hand had a different reaction. Her eyes grew wide, while her ideal four years of school she had shattered to pieces in her mind.

"Yayyyy! Dads gonna stay!" Ruby declared, but her excitement grew as she heard a loud bark. "Ahhhhh and Zwei is here too!"

"My social life is ruined!" Yang groaned in sadness, while she started to fake cry.

Tai let loose a booming laugh and brought Yang close into his chest for another hug. Though this time he tried his hardest to embarrass his oldest daughter. "I can't wait for these next four years together my sunny little dragon! Hey why don't you introduce me to your little friends!"

"Go away!" Yang whined as she tried to fight her father off, earning giggles from her friend's.

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(With Naruto and Nora)

Nora held her drunken partner steady on his feet, while she lead the boy back to their dorm. Naruto had his arm slung around Nora's neck, while his body was firmly pressed into her own. While to his side he had one arm dangling by his body. Earlier he was holding a flask and taking more sips of alcohol, but Nora had confiscated his flask only moments ago.

"You know Nora, you're the best!" Naruto declared, while a red tint covered his face. "You're always helping me when I need you!"

Nora blushed at the compliment from her partner slash crush. Even though Naruto was drunk, his words were genuine after all.

"Anything for you." Nora mumbled in a low voice.

Naruto chuckled, as he really didn't pay attention to what his partner had said. Instead he allowed his free hand to wonder around. Eventually finding something large, soft and squishy.

"So big." Naruto mumbled in amazement, while his blurry drunken gaze zeroed in on Nora's large breasts.

"Naruto." Nora gasped in an embarrassed voice.

"NARUTO!" Ren yelled from inside Naruto's head.

Ignoring both voices Naruto laughed and gave Nora's bust a small squeeze. This of course caused Nora to turn red and steam to roll out of her ears.

"P-please stop." Nora begged in a weak voice.

Naruto looked at Nora, causing the blond to take a hard look at the girl. As his drunken mind was trying to decide what to do next. In his current state he couldn't properly think of what to do or what he was doing. So Naruto removed his hand and leaned into Nora.

"I'm sorry don't be mad!" Naruto whined in a drunken tone. "I won't do it again, I promise!"

Nora watched her partner's nose wiggle, an obvious sign he was lying. Though she didn't care about his lie, because she actually enjoyed being touched by Naruto in that way. Though she did wish the situation was a little more romantic than what it was.

"It's okay Naruto." Nora began in a soft and caring voice. "I could never be mad at you."

Naruto smiled wide. "Awww I love you Nora, you really are my most precious person."

Nora's heart beat nearly tripled and her body temperature rose dramatically. Naruto the boy she had come to admire and love just admitted he loved her. However, this declaration came with a few issues. One being that Naruto was drunk, so his declaration was most likely didn't hold the same meaning as Nora would hope. Plus by tomorrow Naruto would have a massive hangover and forget all about this conversation.

"I feel the same, you're the most important person in my life." Nora replied in a low voice, but one that her drunken partner could hear.

Naruto grinned at his partner, but Nora coming to a sudden stop caused him to stumble forward a little. Though the Winter Maiden was there to catch her partner from falling forward.

"Well what do we have here?" An unfamiliar female voice began, her tone sounding interested and amused.

Naruto and Nora looked forward to find three teenagers. One the obvious leader of the group, due to how she was leading the others. Was a girl with long black hair dressed in the standard Haven uniform. To her right was a dark skinned girl with green hair and her left a boy with spiky gray hair. Both of whom were also wearing the Haven Academy uniform.

Nora looked at the three teens, not liking the looks each was giving her. The boy was busy looking over her body, while the green haired girl gave her a condescending smirk. Though the girl in the middle aggravated Nora the most, as her eyes were busy trailing up and down her partner.

"You guys must be in for the festival." Nora began, as she recognized the symbol for Haven Academy.

"We are." The green haired girl answered almost instantly.

"Well welcome to Beacon. . ." Nora took a pause as she didn't get a reaction from the trio. "Uhhh I'm Nora and this is my partner Naruto."

"Cinder." The leader of the three introduced, before she motioned to her two friends. "Mercury and Emerald."

Nora nodded while Naruto slightly held himself up. The blond had a good head on his shoulder, regardless of his drinking habits. His instincts were always on point and right now they were telling him something was off with the three individuals in front of him. So Naruto slightly prepared himself to react on a moment's notice.

"Now what's with that look handsome?" Cinder asked, while the girl swayed her hips towards Naruto. "Like what you see?"

Naruto watched the girl run a hand across his chest, an action which caused Nora to scowl. Though Naruto merely played the girl's attention off by looking away, showing his level of uninterest.

Mercury walked forward with a sleazy grin. "I don't know about blondie here, but I like what I see." The boy began, as he kept his gaze on Nora. Making the young Maiden feel uncomfortable by his gaze. "Why don't we get out of here and you can show me a good time?"

Nora retreated back and withdrew herself from the trio of new students.

Naruto noticed this interaction and his red eyes slightly flared to life. "Let's get something straight bushy brow." Naruto began, his voice hostile and flat. Almost like he wasn't the drunken mess he was only moments ago. "If you keep looking at my Nora with that look." Naruto took a pause as he was instantly by mercury's side. A blade held against the boy's neck. His lips then curled into a twisted smile as he leaned into the boy's ear. "I'll kill you."

Nora heard her partner's promise, it wasn't the joking meaningless threats he gave to Sun and Neptune. No Naruto sounded serious about his declaration to kill Mercury.

"Naruto." Nora began in a low voice. "We should go back to our dorm." The girl purposed, as she was trying to defuse any conflict.

The anger in Naruto's eyes diminished as he heard Nora's voice. "Yeah let's go." The blond agreed before reaching back and grabbing Nora's hand. He then pushed past Mercury and Cinder and lead Nora away from the trio.

Cinder watched the two walk off with a smirk, then once the two were out of earshot she laughed. "Salem wasn't wrong he's easy to anger and dangerous, but Mercury it seems you have no charm whatsoever." The black haired girl declared. "From now on leave it to me and Emerald to break the girl."

Mercury huffed and crossed his arms. "Whatever."

Over with Naruto and Nora, the two partners were turning around a hallway with different expressions. Naruto was still in a sour mood from his encounter with the trio from Haven. Nora on the other hand was looking at her partner with confusion. He wasn't the drunken mess he was moments ago, no since the moment Mercury made her feel uncomfortable he turned into his normal personality. With a little bit of anger added in on the side.

"Naruto what was that?" Nora began in a confused voice. "I thought you were completely wasted, but. . ."

"I was pretending." Naruto admitted in a flat voice, while he looked over his partner with his deep red eyes. "I was trying to have some fun, but that was until that asshole made you feel uncomfortable. That's something I won't stand for."

Nora looked down with a smile. Her partner really did care a lot about her. However, her feelings quickly shifted into astonishment. "WAIT! You were pretending?! So you groped me while being completely sober!"

Naruto laughed and grinned wide. "I wouldn't say sober, I'm always a little drunk." The boy replied in a cheeky tone.

Nora puffed out her cheeks, but then she realized something once more. Everything her partner said and did was while he was completely control of his thoughts and actions. This caused Nora to turn bright red once she began to think over everything he had said and done to her.

Naruto saw his partner turn red and thought she was mad with him. "Don't be mad Nora, I was just trying to have some fun. If it makes up for everything I'll take you out for pancakes." The blond offered while holding out a wallet. "Everything is on bushy brow!"

Nora wasn't angry, she was more embarrassed if anything. Though once she saw Naruto had stolen that jerks wallet she laughed. "Did you really swipe his wallet?"

Naruto plucked out all the cash from inside and discarded the empty wallet. "Nope." The boy lied before holding a hand out to Nora. "But what do you say? If you won't come I'll just spend it on drinking money!"

Nora grinned and accepted her partner's hand. "No matter where you go Naruto I'll follow." The girl declared in a happy voice.

Naruto smiled and walked with Nora, while having the intentions of finding the nearest place that served pancakes. Neither paying any attention to the fact that they were holding hands all the way to their destination. As it seemed Salem had given her underlings instructions to try and get between the two. Though after only one small failed attempt, Naruto and Nora were pushed even closer together. Showing how strong their bond and feelings for one another were. The only real questions that remained, is when they would come clear with their complete feelings? And could their bond survive all that Salem has planned for the both of them?

Chapter end!

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Well here is the next chapter and I hope you like it, this was more an opening to Vol. 2 and some of the plot lines that will follow. Like Team RWBY messing with Torchwick, Naruto and Nora starting to show more feelings to one another and now Cinder and her goonies are in the mix. Hopefully I can have more updates out soon, but no promises when!

As always thanks for reading and enjoy your day!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11. The Fox Goes Hunting

Walking with his hands dug deep in his pockets Naruto exited Beacon's weapon workshop. An area open to the students of Beacon to build, repair and modify their weapons. As he walked Naruto had a confident smirk on his face, showing he was obviously proud of something. That of course being the new weapon modifications he was working on with combining Kitsune and Stormflower. A process that was a few days in the making and at this rate would be finished by the time the festival starts.

Honestly Naruto couldn't be happier with his progress, but he couldn't take all the credit for his work. As surprisingly Ren was vocal enough to give some ideas and assistance to Naruto. Which allowed Naruto to work even faster than he would just tinkering on his own.

"You're making some solid progress." Ren complemented inside of Naruto's head.

Chuckling to himself Naruto nodded and grabbed his scroll. 'Yeah the plans for Fox Flower are coming along perfect. It will definitely give us an edge in the festival.'

"And over Salem." Ren added.

"Let's hope so." Naruto replied in a low voice, while he dialed his partner's number. He then waited patiently for Nora to answer.

"Naruto!" Nora shouted on the other end, as a video feed of his bubbly partner appeared on the screen. "Are you finished up for today?"

Naruto nodded and leaned against a wall. "Yeah me and Ren are making a good pace on my new weapon. I figure one or two more weeks and it will be finished."

"That's great!" Nora cheered on the other end, but a background noise caused Nora to look away and nod. Then after a moment she looked back to her partner with a grin. "Hey Naruto, me and Pyrrha are headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. Wanna meet up with us?"

Naruto grinned at his partner, but a large eyesore from the adjacent window caught his eye. It was a large military fleet from Atlas of all places floating right by the school grounds. "Yeah Nora I'll be on my way, I just need to stop at Oz's first. Go ahead and get my food for me."

Nora giggled. "Alright Naruto, I'll get all your favorites for you!"

Naruto gave his partner a soft smile. "Thanks Nora, you're the perfect partner." Naruto replied, earning a blush from the girl before he ended the call. Causing his features to shift into a more serious expression as he walked onward. "Now to figure out what the fuck is going on."

"Do you think Ozpin requested military aid?" Ren asked.

Naruto approached the elevator to Ozpin's office and thought for a moment. Then as he pressed the button to call the elevator he sighed.

"I don't know Ren." The blond admitted out loud. "Since Oz hasn't mentioned a fleet coming to Beacon i'm sure this is a surprise to him as well."

Entering the elevator and pressing the up button, Naruto quickly leaned against the back of the elevator and folded his arms.

"Regardless extra forces should be more than welcome. Especially with the high possibility of an attack from Salem." Ren pointed out.

Naruto closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "You could be right, but things are not always so easy. For all we know these forces could be allied with Salem."

"You wouldn't think another headmaster would betray Ozpin?" Ren asked in a shocked voice.

"Maybe." Naruto answered simply. "I was raised to never trust others so easily. Mistakes like that could mean your death."

The elevator made a slight ding, signaling they had arrived to their destination.

"You could be right." Ren replied in a low voice.

Naruto smirked and walked forward. "Of course I am." The blond admitted in a cocky tone before opening his eyes. Allowing him vision of Ozpin and the other individual in the room. The headmaster of Atlas Academy, one James Ironwood.

Ozpin gave a slight nod of recognition to his huntsman, while James was unaware of the blond's presence.

"Listen Ozpin." Ironwood began in a commanding tone, while he pressed his knuckles on Ozpin's desk. "If what you say is true and Salem is planning on attacking the festival. Then the men I've already assembled might not be enough. We need to be prepared for an all out war."

Naruto scoffed, loudly enough to reach the general's ears. "So that's what all the commotion outside is about. And I just thought you were over compensating Jimmy."

Growling General Ironwood stood up straight and kept his back to Naruto. "Qrow what a nice surprise. . . " James began, but once he turned to face Naruto he was struck with confusion. He then turned to Ozpin with a look of anger. "What's the meaning of this Ozpin? Do you allow your students free passage all over Beacon? If you have forgotten we are having a very delicate discussion."

"I'm very aware of how important this discussion is James." Ozpin replied in a flat tone. "And I do not give my students free reign of the entire school. However, this young man along with his partner is an exception."

Naruto rolled his eyes and approached Ozpin's desk. Then by grabbing an unused mug he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"This young man has a name you know." Naruto grumbled in a low voice, while he slowly and regretfully began to drink the coffee.

Ozpin genuinely laughed at his subordinate. "Are you actually drinking something other than hard liquor?"

"He drinks!" Ironwood shouted in shock. "He's only a child! What kind of school do you run Ozpin?"

Ozpin ignored his fellow headmaster, while Naruto grumbled in response. "Nora took away my drinking privileges for a couple days." The blond admitted in an embarrassed tone. As his punishment for feeling up his partner was a little harsher than he expected.

"Now what would cause her to do that?" Ozpin asked with a small grin.

Naruto blushed and looked away. "None of your fucking business that's what." The blond replied bluntly, causing Ironwood's jaw to hit the floor.

"Boy show your headmaster some respect!" Ironwood yelled loudly, as he did not approve of Naruto's disrespectful behavior.

"Bite me Jimmy." Naruto replied with one eye closed, while the other glanced at the man with a calculative gaze. "And the names not boy, it's Naruto. . . Naruto Branwen the Fox Sin of Greed."

"B-Branwen?" Ironwood gasped as he finally took notice to Naruto's piercing red eyed gaze.

"Fox Sin of Greed?" Ozpin added in with a slight chuckle. "Hmm I like it, but I can't help thinking I've heard that name before."

Giving Naruto his full attention, James looked Naruto up and down with surprise. "Are you Qrow's son?"

Naruto laughed and shook his head. "Haha mom always said I acted too much like Uncle Qrow for her liking, but I never figured I would get mistaken for his child. No I'm a Branwen from my mother, Raven Branwen."

"Raven's son." James mumbled in shock, as he remember his limited reactions with the woman. Memories that left the impression that she didn't have a motherly bone in her body.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah I just said that, now can we move on? Like maybe to the part where one of you explain why there is a fucking army outside the window?"

Ozpin sighed and motioned to the General. "Well James believes a strong force is needed to protect Beacon from Salem. While I say this is a poor move, but I'm curious Naruto. What are your thoughts?"

Ironwood pointed at Naruto with a scowl. "Why is the input of a child so important Ozpin?" The hardened and militaristic man shouted.

"Well for one Jimmy." Naruto began in an annoyed voice. "This child has actually fought Salem and I also happen to be one of the four Relic Wielders."

James was once again left in shock and looked to Ozpin. "This is your elite operative you told me about? The same one who wields the power of a Relic? Obviously we have different definitions of an elite."

Ozpin laughed. "First impressions can be deceiving James. I would even be bold enough to say Naruto is more capable than any one of your specialists."

"Certainly you are making a joke Ozpin." James began, earning a snort from Naruto.

"I'm getting real sick of you talking about me like I'm not here." Naruto began in a low voice. "But regardless I have to meet Nora for breakfast so I'd rather not keep her waiting. So moving on, I believe this little show of military force is a poor move."

Ozpin nodded as he agreed with what his young protege was saying. James on the other hand didn't agree with the other men in the room.

"If you've really battled Salem how could you even think taking steps to protect the festival is a bad idea!" Ironwood argued.

Naruto sighed and placed his cup of coffee down. "Wow you're almost as bad as Weiss." The blond mumbled as he massaged his forehead. "If you haven't forgotten Jimmy we are in a time of peace. And a large show of force like this brings up a question. If this is the size of our army, what possible threat is large enough to bring this action? You could have gone about this discreetly with Ozpin's help, but the damage is done. You've shown up with full force and now there is a tension in the air. Which can lead to fear and that ultimately leads us to the creatures of Grimm."

Ozpin nodded. "What Naruto is getting to James is that your forces are welcome. But who's to say we haven't played into Salem's hands by amassing such a large force?"

James sighed and closed his eyes, as he was trying his hardest to see Ozpin's side to this argument. "Alright Ozpin, then what do you suggest as our next move? The other headmasters are not extending any aid to us. So how do we prepare for whatever Salem has?"

"Well." Ozpin began in a low tone, while taking a small sip of coffee. "I was wagering our success to my Winter Maiden and . . . Heh, Fox Sin of Greed. After all, they together have faced and defeated Salem once."

"You can't be serious Ozpin? You're placing all your bets on just two people?" James replied in a non-believing tone.

Naruto crossed his arms. "I'll have you know Jimmy me and Nora are working our ass off to prepare for Salem's forces. We've been training everyday since returning back to Beacon." Naruto declared in an annoyed tone. "And besides disregard the loss of my family techniques, I'm stronger than ever."

Ozpin frowned. "Still haven't been able to recover any of your lost abilities since obtaining your Relic?"

Naruto scoffed and raised his shirt, displaying the fox mark on his body. "None and to be honest Oz it's frustrating. I worked for years to train my abilities to where they were. So even if my Semblance is stronger I still feel like I took a few steps back."

James looked to his fellow headmaster. "I'm not very well versed on the topics of Relics. However, I find it odd that it would cause you to lose any sort of your former abilities." The man began before rubbing his chin. "Care to enlighten me a little Ozpin."

Ozpin sighed and looked at his subordinate. "Honestly the bulk of my knowledge regarding Relics is information passed down through generations. I've never once had the pleasure of meeting an actual individual with the ability to wield a Relic. That's of course until Naruto here found his Relic. I do know Relics are powerful tools only a select few can wield. I also know that a Relic bonds with its user and only departs upon death. However. . ."

Naruto raised his eyebrow as he noticed his headmaster trail off. Almost like he was pondering his next words carefully.

"Well don't leave me in suspense Ozpin." James began, as he wanted all the intel he could gather.

Even Naruto had to nod in agreement, mostly because his headmaster was talking about a subject that involved him.

"Yeah Oz, we really haven't talked much about my Relic. So I'm curious to hear what else you have." Naruto admitted.

Ozpin nodded and folded his hands together, then by looking down at his desk he collected his thoughts. "Where to begin?" The aged hunter asked, before looking back up at Naruto. "Let me explain it like this. When young Nora first retold the events of your mission to me I was surprised and intrigued. Everything regarding your Relic matches with the stories I've been told. Once a Relic finds its Wielder it will slowly sync with that individual before being absorbed into their very soul, becoming apart of them. Though when Nora told me about the fox mark, I was at a loss for words."

Naruto raised his eyebrow and he glanced down to his fox mark. "But why? The mark is my Relic right? Or it at least shows I've bonded with my Relic."

Ozpin shook his head. "I've never heard such tales before." The man admitted.

Naruto looked confused, as he didn't understand what his headmaster was getting at. "But when I first found the Relic it had this fox mark on it. So this has to be related!"

"You'd be surprised to discover you had as much influence on your Relic as it did on you. I'd argue those fox images on your Relic were not present until your weapon was in your possession." Ozpin explained in a matter of fact tone.

James folded his arms as he listened in. "None of this makes sense Ozpin. The boy obtained his Relic and then got the mark. So the Relic must have caused the mark to appear."

Ozpin took a deep breath. "In a way I theorize you're correct, but here is what I believe happened. So pay close attention to what I say Naruto." Ozpin began, earning a nod from said blond. "Your Relic changed your Semblance and body, so in a way you've unlocked your true potential as an individual. See you have always been strong, but your Relic has always been out there. Waiting for you to claim it and move towards your real strength. This in a way has proven you worthy, so that is why you have been branded by that mark."

Naruto massaged his face. "I'm so fucking confused right now! It makes me worthy? For fucks sake I really need a drink." The blond groaned before ruffling his hair. "If only I didn't get caught feeling Nora up I'd be fine!" Ozpin and James looked at Naruto with different looks. One had an amused smirk, while the other had a look of disgust. Naruto quickly realizing what he had said pointed a finger at Ozpin. "You didn't hear that!"

"You're a filthy human!" James accused.

Naruto turned his finger towards the General. "And you're an annoying dick head."

Ozpin laughed and raised his hands into the air. "Please calm down and let me finish." Ozpin began causing both men to look his way. "Now like I said previously, I have never heard of a Relic Wielder with any sort of marking. I have heard different rumors, but these are scarce and a topic even I don't know much about."

Naruto looked shocked. "A story you don't know much about, you're kidding right?"

"Oh I'm quite serious." Ozpin began, while pointing at Naruto's fox mark. "All I know is a small story and a rhyme that follows. If I remember it goes something like. . . When one proves that they are worthy, a mark out of seven they shall carry. And once Remnant faces its darkest day, those seven shall light the way."

Naruto squinted his eyes and gave his headmaster an annoyed look. "Really Oz a fucking rhyme?"

Ozpin nodded. "It's from a story my father once told me. Back before the four kingdoms were established there was many war like tribes dotted throughout the world. Though one stood above the rest, that was because of its powerful group of seven warriors. Each branded with the mark of a beast. I honestly believed my father's stories were make believe and nothing besides fiction. Though once I learned of your fox mark I began to think the stories were true."

Naruto folded his arms. "What exactly is the story involving these seven warriors?"

"Not much." Ozpin revealed. "All I know is that together they faced and slayed a great evil. That's all the information I have on the topic. My father didn't know much either, as when I was young I would often ask him more about those seven warriors. Though he had nothing to tell me and I could never find any information to confirm if what he had told me was true. That's why I haven't mentioned any of this yet. I've been searching for more information on the subject to avoid leaving you with more unanswered questions. Considering you have enough on your plate to worry about."

Naruto looked down and bit his lip. "I see." The blond began in a low voice.

General Ironwood rubbed his chin. "So to sum everything up you believe by obtaining his Relic Naruto has become worthy to earn this mark. A mark that we know absolutely nothing about?"

Ozpin nodded. "That is my theory."

"You know this is a lot to take in?" Naruto asked, while he looked at Ozpin. The latter of whom merely nodded.

"I know and I wish I could give you more information." Ozpin admitted truthfully.

James placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'll have some of my history scholars in Atlas look into this matter."

Naruto glanced at the man with a skeptical look. "Um thanks?" The blond replied, confused by the man's willingness to help him.

"Keep your thanks, we are allies in our battle to keep the peace from Salem. So I will support you and Ozpin anyway I can." James declared confidently.

Ozpin nodded and folded his hands over his desk. "James is right and speaking of Salem, before we started arguing over the army outside. Me and the General were discussing something more serious."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, his headmaster spoke with a grim and serious tone. An action that immediately caused a small alarm with the young hunter.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

Ozpin sighed. "The Fall Maiden was attacked." The man revealed, causing Naruto's eyes to grow wide. "And some of her power was stolen."

"What!" Naruto shouted as he slammed his hands onto Ozpin's desk. "Why haven't you told me this sooner!"

Ozpin held his hand up. "I've only recently obtained this information. You see Amber the Fall Maiden was attacked by unknown assailants, but she was saved by your uncle. Who placed her in the care of a local Atlas convoy. She was then transported to Beacon this morning by James personally."

"What's her exact condition?" Naruto asked, while he balled his knuckles.

James turned to Naruto and frowned. "She's dying and worst of all her power was almost completely taken. She nearly at death's door, but I've placed her under a life support system. Though this solution is temporary at best." The General explained.

"But if she dies her Maiden powers might go to her attacker." Naruto pointed out in worry.

"We know Naruto. . . The power might go seek out its other half. Or the person that Amber was last thinking of, which would be her attacker." Ozpin explained to Naruto, causing the younger male to curse.

"Shit." Naruto began in a low voice, as he was now thinking about protecting Nora more than ever. "Okay then what's our plan?"

"We find a replacement to take her power." James answered. "We have the technology to do so after all."

Naruto turned to the man. "But who could we trust with that kind of power and burden?"

Ozpin sighed and adjusted his glasses. "I have a candidate in mind. Pyrrha would be perfect in my opinion."

Naruto frowned at the idea. "I don't like bringing more of my friends into this Oz."

"I know Naruto, but we are low on time and options. It's a dangerous request, but we should at least allow Pyrrha to decide if she wants to become our Fall Maiden."

James nodded in agreement. "I'm with Ozpin, besides young Pyrrha has an impressive record. From the files I've read she was born an orphan, but was trained at a young age to become a champion fighter. One who is currently undefeated."

"So you're pretty sold on proposing the offer to Pyrrha. Sounds like you've placed a lot of thought into this." Naruto began in a low voice, but his eyes slightly glowed red. "But tell me what plans have you made to protect Nora?"

"Naruto I knew you would be worried about her safety, but that's not needed. With Beacons support, James army and you as Nora's personal body guard. I feel she is much safer than Amber ever was." Ozpin explained while he stood to his feet and walked around his desk. He then placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Trust me the safety of my students is my top priority."

Naruto looked down and tightened his fists. "Last time I wasn't enough to protect Nora. . ."

"But next time you will be." Ozpin cut in, causing Naruto to look up at the man. "Don't be down on yourself, you're a fantastic warrior and you will protect Nora if the situation calls for it."

"Yeah you're right Oz!" Naruto declared with a wide smile.

"That's the spirit, now why don't you get going. I think Nora needs to have this information given to her." Ozpin explained in a firm voice.

Naruto nodded and walked off. "Alright I'll be in touch Oz."

James watched the blond walk off and folded his arms behind his back. "He's a lot like his family. Brash, rude and inconsiderate. But he has an incredible presence of power that follows him."

Ozpin nodded. "He's one of my best students and is quite powerful. Though you should see some of my other students. They may not be at Naruto's level, but they definitely have the potential to do so."

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(With Nora)

Seated by her best female friend Pyrrha, Nora kept her gaze on her food tray and gazed at her breakfast. She then gave her food a blank expression while mindlessly moving her food with a fork. To her left was an empty seat with a tray of food for Naruto, but her friend was taking longer to arrive than she planned.

Pyrrha who noticed her friend's distracted behavior chuckled. "Missing your boyfriend Naruto are we?" The young warrior asked, her voice holding back a small giggle.

Glancing up to her friend with a blank expression, Nora rolled her eyes. "Are you missing Jaune?" The Maiden fired back without any emotion, an action that made Pyrrha blush and look down.

"I- I uh. . ."

"Save it Pyrrha." Nora cut in with a small smirk. "You may know my secret, but I know yours."

Pyrrha sighed in defeat. "I guess we both have a thing for our partner's then."

Nora blushed slightly, as admitting her feelings wasn't something she had actually done to others. Though at least Yang wasn't around to tease her. "Yeah I guess so, but we sure picked some winners, an alcoholic momma's boy and Jaune."

A sweat drop rolled down Pyrrha's head. "Was that an insult?"

Nora shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? Naruto has rubbed off on me."

Pyrrha laughed, but her laughter quickly died down. "You know Nora I must be honest I'm actually quite envious of you."

Nora raised her eyebrow. "Really? Why would you be?"

Pyrrha rubbed her arm and looked down. "Well you and Naruto are so close, closer than most partner's. I just wish me and Jaune were more like the two of you."

Nora frowned and looked away. "Trust me Pyrrha me and Naruto are more complicated than you think." The girl explained as she remembered his confession, a topic both teens have danced around for the last couple of days.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Pyrrha asked.

Nora took a second to think over her reply, but before she could answer another voice spoke up.

"Well look who it is." A condensing voice spoke out loud.

Looking up both Nora and Pyrrha found Cinder and her friend Emerald at the side of their table. Smirks plastered on each girl's face as they looked down at the females of Team JNNP.

"Cinder." Nora began before glancing over to the green haired girl. "And Emerald, what's up?"

The two girls ignored Nora for a moment. This caused Pyrrha to slightly frown.

"Um hello, I'm Pyrrha. It's nice to meet the both of you." The girl began, as she was trying to be friendly.

"My my, that's a lot of food for one person." Emerald began in an amused tone, while she glanced down at the two trays by Nora. "Pigging out are we?"

Nora looked down and frowned, while Pyrrha gave the two girls a hard stare.

"It's not all for-"

"Hey where is that cute partner of yours?" Cinder asked, while cutting Nora off at the same time. "I must say he's grabbed my attention."

Emerald smirked and glanced to Cinder. "Don't tell me you have a crush on that Naruto kid? Rumors around Beacon say he grew up in the Branwen Tribe."

Cinder shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say Em? You know I love bad boys."

"He's bad alright. You heard that threat he gave Merc. I bet a guy like that has killed all sorts of people. He's real scum." Emerald added in.

Nora balled her fists under the table, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Yeah you're right, rumors say those awful bandits steal from and kill the helpless. I bet he's nothing besides a heartless monster." Cinder sneered in a mocking voice.

The air around the girl's growing deathly cold, Nora gritted her teeth.

"He's not a monster." The girl seethed in a low voice. "So don't call him that."

Emerald hearing Nora's declaration laughed loudly. "Aww that's adorable Cinder. She's defending her partner, you know what I bet she has a crush on him." The girl declared, earning a blush from Nora. A blush that Emerald saw and laughed even louder. "Oh shit she does!"

"That is funny Em." Cinder began with a slight grin. "But you should get your head out of the clouds. He will never have true feelings for someone like you."

Pyrrha slightly stood up. "You two should leave." The girl commanded.

"Oh don't get offended." Emerald began, while ignoring Pyrrha's anger. "We are only helping the poor girl. A boy like her partner would only go after a true beauty like Cinder here. Not a piggy like you."

"I said leave." Pyrrha repeated, but this time the normally kind girl displayed a hostile side.

Cinder merely motioned for Emerald to walk off. "Let's go Em." The black haired girl instructed, but she kept her gaze on Nora. "And don't take Em's words to heart. Piggy's can be quite cute after all, so I'd say you're more of a boar."

With that final insult the two girls walked off and left a teary eyed Nora and enraged Pyrrha behind. Though as Pyrrha glared at the two retreating girls she quickly changed her attention to Nora.

"Hey are you okay?" The redhead asked.

Slightly rubbing her eyes Nora nodded. "Yeah why wouldn't I?"

Pyrrha sighed and gave her friend a one armed hug. "Just thought being the most beautiful girl at Beacon was overwhelming you. Just making sure you're okay."

Nora laughed and leaned into her friend. "You know I love you." The girl declared happily.

Pyrrha nodded. "Almost as much as you love Naruto." The girl teased.

"Whatever." Nora mumbled with a soft laugh.

Pyrrha grinned wide, but her grin turned to surprise once someone violently slammed their self into the seat by Nora.

"We need to talk." The voice of Naruto began, his voice sounding disturbed and impatient.

Nora raised her eyebrow. "Naruto what's the matter?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not here Nora, we need to talk in private. . . The queen has made a move."

Standing up Nora practically pulled Naruto onto his feet. "Let's go." The girl began before looking down to Pyrrha. "Sorry we gotta go."

"Um okay?" Pyrrha mumbled in a confused voice before she watched the two run off. This caused the girl to sigh and play with her food. "And then there was one."

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(Team JNNP's dorm)

Nora who was seated on her bed listened to the intel Naruto had gathered with a frown. When she faced Salem the woman declared she could take Nora's power, but she didn't believe the woman. However, it appears that Salem was telling the truth. Though that wasn't what was troubling Nora the most at the moment.

Naruto after finishing his explanation took notice of his partner's downward mood. So to comfort the girl he placed a hand on her lap and gave her a soft smile.

"I know you're worried Nora, but don't because I'm here for you." Naruto declared in a soft voice. "I'll protect you."

Nora flashed her partner a smile. "I know you will, but I'm not worried about my own safety. I'm worried about Amber. . . She was my friend."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You knew her?"

Nora nodded. "Ozpin introduced us, she helped me a little in coming to terms with being a Maiden. She actually offered me the chance to travel alongside her, but I couldn't do it. I decided to hide away in combat school and live out my days under Ozpin's protection."

"I'm sorry Nora." Naruto replied in a low voice. "But what do you think of Oz's solution?"

"What making Pyrrha the next Fall Maiden?" Nora asked softly, before smiling to herself. "Well knowing Amber she would approve of handing her powers to Pyrrha. Though I agree with you, I don't want any of our friends or family involved."

Naruto sighed. "So what should we do?"

Nora shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, do whatever we can I guess. Train more maybe or perhaps try to catch wind of Salem's plans before they come into play."

"I have some connections with people who are not really model citizens." Naruto began causing Nora to deadpan.

"You mean criminals." The girl clarified.

Naruto closed his eyes and laughed, then by rubbing the back of his head he grinned. "Yeah criminals, but maybe they've heard something about Salem or even the White Fang."

Nora stood to her feet and stretched. "Alright Naruto, you go find some leads. I'm gonna go talk to Ozpin. . . I wanna know if he will let me see Amber."

Naruto nodded and placed a hand on his partner's shoulder. "We will talk later Nora, but if you need me just call."

Nora smiled. "I will."

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(Red light district)

The surrounding city by Beacon was a wonderful testament to how far humanity had thrived. However, even the most lavish cities have places where crime festers and grows. So since Naruto was looking for information, that's exactly where he was headed.

With his hood placed over his head and his hands dug deep into his pockets, Naruto moved silently through the busy streets. While making his way to a large tavern with a flashy red neon sign that read "The Peeking Toad." Then by slowly approaching the building, Naruto entered the shady establishment.

Though almost the moment Naruto walked into the building, a tall muscular male in a black suit held his hand out to the blond.

"Beat if kid, this place is for adults." The man declared in a commanding tone.

Naruto looked up to the man, his red eyes giving the bouncer a piercing glare. "I wouldn't get in my way."

The man snorted. "Or what?" The man asked, earning a smirk from Naruto.

On the inside of the building a single male with long spiky white hair was seated at a circular table. To his left and right were a large assortment of young and beautiful women, all of whom were shamelessly flirting with the older man. Though as the man released a loud laugh and reached for a drink on his table, the door to the establishment was busted open. While the bouncer who tried to stop Naruto flew into the room and crashed onto the man's table. This action caused the girl's to shriek and the man to frown.

"What's going on here!" The man yelled in frustration.

A calm chuckling reaching his ears, the man watched as a hooded Naruto entered the room. "I'm looking for the owner of this shit hole." The blond declared.

Many of the patrons inside the building shot Naruto a gaze. While the white haired man glared at Naruto.

"Well you found him brat!" The man yelled before folding his arms. "So what do you want?"

Naruto removed his hood, showing his red eyes and devious smirk to the man. "I want information and my mom said you were always the best in the business."

The man rolled his eyes. "Raven's brat."

"The names Naruto." He clarified with a small smirk.

The man huffed and motioned for the girl's by his side to leave. Then once they were alone he stood to his feet and made a gesture for Naruto to follow. "Alright my office is this way."

Naruto nodded and followed the man to the back of the building. As they walked the man shot Naruto a glance over his shoulder.

"So what kind of information did you come seeking the gallant Jiraiya for?" The now named Jiraiya asked, while he approached a small office door.

Entering the room with the man, Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Just a few things." The blond replied offhandedly. "Like the White Fang's movements and rumors you've heard. Also Roman Torchwick has made my list of important people to watch out for. And let's throw any news you have on Salem, relics and the maidens in there as well."

Taking a seat at his desk, Jiraiya grumbled something about annoying brats. "That's more than a few things." The man clarified, causing Naruto to give a foxy smirk.

"Just tell me what you know, I have the same amount of patience as my mother after all." Naruto replied in a smug tone.

Jiraiya took a long drawn out sigh. "Well for starters that Torchwick guy has apparently managed to steal and smuggled some high level Atlas tech."

Naruto rubbed his chin and slightly hummed. "Well that's interesting, Jimmy didn't mention stolen tech. What kind of gear are we talking about?"

"Top secret military machinery, whatever was stolen hasn't even been released to the general public." The white haired man explained.

"Great." Naruto mumbled in an unenthusiastic tone. "What else do you know?"

Jiraiya grabbed a map from his desk and placed it before Naruto. "Well there is sightings of a large number of White Fang here and here." The man explained while drawing a circle in the two areas. "My intel also confirms their numbers in these areas are growing."

Naruto frowned. "They are gathering their forces." The blond mumbled, while his eyes drifted to where Beacon was on the map. Which was right between the White Fang forces. "It's the gathering on an invasion force."

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes that was my first impression as well, but let's move on. I have no information on Salem or the relics. However, the Maidens are a far different story."

Naruto folded his arms. "Enlighten me."

"Well you are aware Spring is currently with your mother." Jiraiya stated in a matter of fact tone.

Naruto nodded. "Yes I've been aware for quite some time now. Please tell me that isn't all the news you have?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "I had some leads on the Fall Maiden, but she has completely vanished." The man explained, earning a nod from Naruto. The latter of whom already knowing what had happened to Amber. "But there is rumors circulating that the Winter Maiden is a student at Beacon."

Naruto's eyes turned hostile and started to glow. "Where have you heard these rumors?"

Jiraiya laughed, causing Naruto to tighten his fists. "What's with the sudden temper brat?"

"My anger shouldn't concern you." The blond replied quickly. "Just make these rumors disappear, before I am forced to take action."

Jiraiya grinned. "You're protecting someone and word is that you are a student at Beacon now. So I guess my intel is spot on!"

Naruto growled. "Yes I am protecting someone." The blond revealed before pressing his knuckles on Jiraiya's desk. "And know that I would gladly kill anyone to keep her safe, regardless of any circumstances. So it would really be in your best interest to kill off these fake rumors of yours."

The older male shook his head. "Man you're a carbon copy of your mother, except with blond hair."

Naruto gave the man a twisted grin. "Well then you should know like my mother I don't bluff."

Jiraiya waved the blond off. "Yeah yeah whatever brat, but I got one last bit of information to give you."

Naruto took a deep breath and stood up straight. "Okay I'm all ears."

"Tonight at two separate locations you'll find two big players in the White Fang's organization. One is that Torchwick guy you mentioned earlier, he's attending a rally involving new recruits."

Naruto folded his arms. "And the other?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Have you heard of Adam Taurus?"

Naruto raised his eyebrow, Adam Taurus was a big name in the White Fang organization. Taking him out would definitely cause a blow to their organization.

"Where is he?" Naruto asked with fire in his eyes.

Jiraiya chuckled. "In a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. My intel says he's overseeing a transport of dust. But know if you go after him you will miss out on finding that Torchwick guy."

Naruto turned his back to Jiraiya and started to walk off. "That's acceptable, especially after tonight the White Fang will be one member short."

Jiraiya scoffed, an action that caused Naruto to stop at the office door. "Do I believe you have the power to kill the man? Absolutely, but know he would quickly become a martyr for the White Fang's cause. Which in turn would only rally more troops over to their side."

Naruto glanced over to Jiraiya, giving the man an emotionless red eyed stare. A look that honestly sent chills down the man's spine.

"Like I said earlier, I have people to protect and I will kill anyone to keep them safe. I don't care who they are, if they have families or if they beg for mercy. If they pose a threat to those I love I will strike them down."

With that being said Naruto quickly exited the office and the building shortly after, while making his way towards where Adam Taurus would be waiting for him. Though as he walked Ren finally made his presence known.

"You really didn't mean that did you?" The disembodied teen asked. "You do realize not every solution involves killing."

Naruto looked into the night sky and gazed at the cracked moon. "I will protect what is mine." Naruto replied simply. "As for any backlash that follows, well if Nora, my sisters and friends are safe. I couldn't give a single fuck as to what else happens."

Ren took a small sigh within Naruto's head. "If that is what you wish to tell yourself so be it."

Ignoring Ren's final comment Naruto took off at a faster pace. He was weaponless and without a plan, but as he made his way towards his enemy the young Branwen had nothing besides sheer confidence and determination.

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Chapter end!

So let's talk about the elephant in the room so to speak. I've gotten many PMs/Reviews regarding volume 5 and how it conflicts with things I've done within my story. So let's set the record straight this story had diverged from the main plot from chapter one when Naruto was brought into the story. This is a crossover of two shows I love dearly and I will be doing a great deal many things different from the source material. Hell half of you can already see the large amount of Seven Deadly Sins inspiration I've thrown in here as well.

Summarizing everything up this story will be different and that's a good thing. It gives you the readers a surprise and something fresh instead of copy and paste with new characters added here and there.

Anyways hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I hope to have another one out soon. Until then thanks for reading and tell me what you thought of this chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12. Can't Hide the Past

The soft echoing of footsteps could be heard in the secret underground vault under Beacon. They were slow and almost unheard, giving the impression that the individual walking was trying to avoid arriving to their destination as long as possible. Said individual was none other than Nora Valkyrie, who was on her way to whiteness what remained of her former mentor and friend. She was alone and was dreading her decision to come see Amber, as her emotions and nerves were slowly taking over. Nora truly wanted to see Amber, but she wished she would have asked Naruto to tag along. Since she really needed his emotional support.

However, her partner was off doing other things so she had to do this solo. Eventually after what felt like forever Nora arrived at the life support system that held her friend. A sight that caused a slight tear to trail down Nora's face.

"Amber. . ." Nora mumbled in a soft voice, while the girl placed a hand onto the glass of the life support machine. "You didn't deserve this."

Nora trailed her fingers slowly down the glass before her hand fell down to her side. Then as she tightened both fists Nora closed her eyelids. "I'll find who did this and make them pay!"

Silence filling the room Nora took a deep breath and she started to remember some of the good times with the dying woman across her. Memories that caused the pain in her chest to grow even worse.

"This doesn't seem real." Nora mumbled in a low voice. "It seems like yesterday you were teasing me about boys and the way I ate. I wish you could have met my friends, especially Naruto. He's my well. . . He's very special to me, but you'd probably hate him. He drinks a lot, is rude to everyone and loves starting fights. Though he treats me really good and is always there to protect me. So maybe you would like him."

Nora took a pause and sighed. "I know you can't hear anything I'm saying, so saying goodbye like this is hollow at best. However, I promise I'll figure out how to fully control my powers and I will avenge you Amber. So goodbye and rest easy knowing I'll take care of everything."

With those final words Nora turned away from her friend and slowly walked off.

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(With Naruto)

Currently Naruto was squatting over the edge of a rooftop, which allowed him a solid vantage point. Though as his blood red eyes observed his surrounding Ren decided to make a comment on their situation.

"There is a lot of them. Are you positive going in without a weapon is wise?"

Naruto scoffed. "I was trained to be a human weapon Ren. Trust me, I've killed plenty of Grimm and huntsmen with and without weapons. I'll be fine."

"So what, you're just gonna waltz in and start killing left and right?" Ren asked in an annoyed tone.

Shaking his head Naruto rose to his feet. "There is a lot you could learn Ren."

"Like what?" The teen asked.

Naruto chuckled. "Remember these four things Ren." The blond began before taking a leap off the rooftop. "Make a plan."

Naruto then took a pause and silently approached a warehouse surrounded by members of the White Fang. Most of whom were busy moving storage crates full of weapons and dust.

"Execute the plan." The blond continued before leaning against a storage crate.

"Freeze!" A loud and unfamiliar voice shouted.

Turning his head Naruto laughed as he saw two armed White Fang members pointing guns at him. "Expect the plan to go off the rails."

Without any further questions the two extremists opened fire at Naruto. However, this caused the blond to smirk and dash at the men at incredible speeds. Then by avoiding their gunfire he grabbed the men by their heads and hoisted them into the air.

"Then throw the plan away!" Naruto laughed loudly before spiking the two White Fang members into the ground.

Sirens going off and the sound of stomping footsteps coming from all around Naruto, the blond chuckled and slowly straightened up. Soon before Naruto could even move he was quickly surrounded by a mob of White Fang loyalists. Then as each masked Faunus pointed their weapons at Naruto the blond grinned and placed his hood down, revealing his blond locks and red eyes.

"You're an idiot." Ren insulted, while Naruto continued to laugh at the tension in the air.

The blond then cocked his head to the side and placed his hands in his pockets. Next Naruto scanned the area and shook his head at how silent and serious the White Fang was being.

"So listen up." Naruto began, causing several individuals to tighten the aim on their weapons. "You guys are in a pretty lucky situation, see I'm not here to kill you. Instead I'm here to kill some dickhead named Adam. So if he could step forward it would make my night a lot less, well messy."

"And just who the fuck are you human?" A voice filled with malice and rage asked. Though this voice sounded farther away from the group of assembled White Fang.

Turning to the voice Naruto smirked as he noticed a masked Faunus scowling at him from the safety of a catwalk attached to the warehouse. Though this man was none other than Naruto's target.

"Adam Taurus I presume? Ah why even ask? That scowl you're giving me is all the confirmation I need." Naruto began before giving a slight bow. "The names Naruto Branwen and I'm here to kill you."

Raising his fist into the air, Adam growled at the blond. "Kill the human." Was the anger filled order from Adam.

Naruto shook his head. "I wouldn't if I were you guys."

Unfortunately Naruto's warning was ignored and the mob of White Fang members opened fire at the blond. This forced Naruto to grab the two bodies by his side and use them as a front and back shield. Then after a second of taking fire Naruto did a quick spin and tossed each body in different directions, hitting multiple attackers in one quickly counter strike.

"So the messy way it is then." Naruto sighed as he grabbed two weapons off the ground and started to run and gun enemies down.

Watching from above Adam gripped his hands onto the railing of the catwalk. It all happened so quickly, but in an instant some unknown human had took his group of over fifty followers and nearly halved that number in a flash.

"You worthless idiots kill him! He's only one human!" Adam roared at the top of his lungs.

Stopping at a group of three White Fang members, Naruto took a decent leap into the air. Then while in mid air he sprayed bullets all over the individual in the middle. Next by quickly twisting his body and legs he delivered two quick spin kicks that connected and snapped the necks of the other two members.

Then as Naruto landed on the ground he chuckled and looked over to Adam. "He's really pissed off." The blond joked in a light hearted tone.

"You should take this more serious!" Ren scolded.

Naruto rolled his eyes, but once his eyes caught a glimpse of a White Fang member with a katana he tossed the guns in hand and laughed. "Yeah something like that is more my style." Naruto mumbled as he dashed at the individual who had grabbed his attention.

The poor Faunus tried to fend Naruto off with a slow sword strike, but the blond got in close and grabbed the weapon. Then by giving a quick head butt and gut punch. Naruto swiped the sword and sliced the man down with his own sword.

"Let's see how many is left?" Naruto mused while resting the sword's blade on his shoulder. He then began to casually count out the remaining hostile White Fang members. Though while he did this more began to exit the warehouse and join the fight, increasing the odds against Naruto. "It appears a lot of these bastards are left."

"Then you should get to taking care of them." Ren instructed.

Dropping the sword off his shoulder and striking a proper stance, Naruto grinned from ear to ear. "I was thinking the same thing Ren."

One of the White Fang members gave Naruto an odd look. "Who the hell is Re-. . ." The Faunus began, but was stopped once Naruto dashed forward and buried a knee into his face. Causing the extremist to go flying backwards with a shattered mask and was unconscious before even touching the ground.

"He's nobody that concerns you." Naruto replied in a causal voice, while gunfire sounded off from behind Naruto. Causing the red eyed boy to lift his stolen sword over his back and deflect all the projectiles with ease. Next he slowly turned around and hardened his gaze. "Now who is so eager to get my attention?"

A few of Naruto's attackers gasped in surprise and started to take a few retreating steps. Unfortunately Naruto didn't show any mercy and simply dashed at the attackers and quickly sliced each member down in a brilliant dance of sword strikes. Effectively thinning out the remaining threat in the area. Then as Naruto came to a stop he heard loud quick footsteps that forced a small smirk to grace his features.

"So the real fun begins." Naruto mumbled, while he effortlessly turned around and blocked a sword strike from behind. Placing him in a battle of dominance with Adam Taurus himself.

"You arrogant human." Adam snarled in anger. "Why are you here?"

Naruto shook his head broke through Adam's guard. "I already told you dumbass." Naruto began, before he kicked Adam in the gut and sent the Faunus rolling backwards. "I'm here to kill you."

Growling Adam planted a hand onto the ground and flipped himself back onto his feet. Then by gritting his teeth he ran straight for Naruto. "The only one dying tonight is you human!"

Engaging one another in a fierce battle of blades, Naruto and Adam appeared to almost be evenly matched. However, much to Adam's displeasure Naruto was still the superior swordsman and that angered the Faunus even more.

"You seem tense." Naruto noted as he effortlessly blocked every strike Adam sent his way. "And is it just me or are you slowing down?"

Adam tightened the grip on his sword, as Naruto's taunting was only pissing the White Fang leader off even more. Though what the Faunus didn't know was that not only was Naruto playing mind games with him, but he was also sapping his strength with his semblance.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you." Adam declared, as tried to slice Naruto in half.

Blocking the attack and yawning Naruto gave the man a blank stare. "Man when I heard rumors of the great Adam Taurus and his strength I was actually excited to fight you. Unfortunately you don't hold a candle to the woman who trained me and even she can't beat me anymore."

Adam was tense and was actually starting to believe he may in fact lose. However, he couldn't die tonight and let go of his ambitions. No he needed to kill the unknown human in front of him. So as he struggled with all his might to strike Naruto down, he was simultaneously thinking of another way to beat the blond.

Fortunately across the distance Adam caught a glimpse of a survivor amongst his forces. The individual was alive and trying to aim a shot at Naruto's back. So seeing this Adam decided to distract the blond.

"You know I must commend you human, you're far better than I first expected. It's unfortunate you were born into such an inferior race, you could have made a valuable ally." Adam began in a cocky tone.

Naruto scoffed and kept his gaze on his blade, looking back at himself in the metal reflection. "Trust me I'd never work with a dick like you and not for the reasons you think. See everything I do is for my own greed and reasons. I don't care about ideals or any of that bullshit. I protect what's mine, take what I want and don't give a damn about anything else."

Adam merely laughed in response. "You're an interesting human indeed."

Naruto shook his head. "And you're a pathetic egomaniac that thinks a simple distraction would work on someone like me." The blond replied.

Adams eyes going wide in surprise the sound of a high caliber gun filled the air. Then in a second Naruto batted away Adam's sword and blocked the bullet. Finally without any remorse or signs of restraint, Naruto sliced through Adam's left arm causing the limb to fall onto the ground.

"Ahhhh!" The Faunus shrieked in pain, while he stumbled back and grabbed his bleeding wound.

Turning around Naruto hurled the sword in his hand into the Faunus who had fired the gun from behind, killing the individual instantly. Next Naruto turned around and stood over top of Adam.

"How does it feel? As such a proud Faunus to be looked down on by a human?" Naruto asked in a smug tone, while placing his hands into his pockets.

Gritting his teeth Adam gave Naruto a look that screamed hatred. "You human garbage. . . I'm going to kill you!" Adam roared as he jumped to his feet and rushed Naruto.

Ducking under a sword strike from Adam, Naruto raised two hands and started to beat the man down. Starting off with a flurry of fast a strong punches to the face, causing the Faunus to stagger backwards.

"It's sad really." Naruto mumbled in a monotone voice. "You have potential to be great, but your own arrogance and hatred holds you back."

"Fu-. . . " Adam began, but stopped once Naruto punched the Faunus so hard his head spiked against the ground.

"You really don't understand how outclassed you are Adam." Naruto began in a mocking tone, while the blond stood overtop of the man. "Well like it matters, you'll be dead soon enough."

Adam gritted his teeth and tried to think of a way to escape his situation, but he couldn't. He truly was outclassed and defeated so easily by Naruto. So finally reaching a moment of despair Adam decided to swallow his pride.

"Please have mercy." The man begged in a weak voice, but this action merely caused Naruto to scoff.

"Really we've succumbed to this cliché Adam? And let me guess if I spare your life you would probably take the first chance you get to stab me in the back." Naruto began in a disappointed voice as he shook his head. "Have some dignity and die like a warrior."

Holding his hand out a stay gun flew from a dead Faunus and into Naruto's hand. Then by pointing the weapon at Adam the blond smirked. "And be grateful that I'm gracious enough to not kill you with your own sword."

Adam balled his remaining hand around his sword and grinded his teeth together. "I'm going to kill everyone you love, destroy everything you cherish and then once you're a broken miserable human that's when I will kill you."

Naruto laughed and grinned at the Faunus. "That's more like it, but unfortunately I've grown bored with this. So I think it's time to put you down for good."

Pulling the trigger Naruto took careful aim, but as a loud screeching sound filled the air Naruto was forced to duck under an unknown projectile. An action which resulted in Naruto missing the kill shot on Adam and sparing the Faunus from death.

"What the!" Naruto shouted in surprise, but once Adam jumped to his feet and started to take swings at the blond he was forced to keep his attention on Adam.

"Die human!" Adam roared as he tried to desperately slash and hack at Naruto. The latter of whom merely kept his distance and continued to dodge, but did not fight back.

Instead as Naruto and Adam moved around the blond tried to identify where the attack from earlier came from.

'Did I miss someone? If so they are staying hidden.' Naruto mused in his own thoughts.

"Reinforcements perhaps?" Ren added in.

'Possibly.' Naruto replied, while he placed his attention back to Adam. Though before Naruto could make any offensive moves at Adam, more projectiles forced the blond to quickly distance himself away from Adam.

"This is real annoying." Naruto began, while he kept scanning the area. "I'd like to hurry up and kill you, not deal with you and every Faunus in Vale."

Adam smirked. "And who said I only had Faunus allies?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the Faunus, while an unknown chuckling filled the area.

"Well put chum, I can call you chum can't I? Oh who the hell cares!" A voice began, causing Naruto to look to his side. Allowing him to see a man and young girl walking over towards Adam. "The names Roman by the way, Roman Torchwick and this lovely girl is Neo."

Naruto gave the biggest smile he could possibly muster. "This is wonderful, both the men I'm aiming to kill in one place. I must admit sometimes I surprise myself with how lucky I am!"

Roman shook his head and placed a cigar into his mouth. "What is with annoying brats trying to ruin my plans? First those annoying Beacon girls and now you." Roman began in an annoyed tone before he waved the blond off. "It doesn't matter those girls couldn't stop me and you'll be no different."

Naruto smirked and his eyes started to slightly glow a bright red hue. "You'll find I'm much more deadly than some school girls. Though I was raised to be quite the deadly warrior."

Roman laughed and looked down to Adam, the latter of whom was holding his bleeding stub of an arm. "Oh I can see the difference, as well as my accomplice here." The man began earning a growl from Adam. "Unfortunately we are behind schedule so maybe another time bandit boy."

Naruto laughed and ran at the three at blinding speeds. "You're not going anywhere!" The blond declared, while he punched a hole through Roman's chest.

However, to Naruto's surprise this action caused Roman, Neo and even Adam to shatter like glass. Leaving nothing behind beside one very pissed off Naruto. Who tried to search the area for any sign of the three criminals, but he found nothing. Displaying they had managed to evade the blond and escape.

"Looks like he went somewhere." Ren pointed out in a flat voice.

Naruto tightened his fists and walked towards the warehouse. "Shut the fuck up Ren." The blond growled as he was absolutely pissed that he allowed Roman and Adam to escape him.

Next displaying his rage Naruto started to kick open and violently inspect the crates the White Fang were moving around. An action which caused Ren to sigh.

"Well at least you caused a huge blow to their operation! I mean you took out over fifty men and look at all this dust and weapons!" The disembodied teen tried to point out.

Naruto frowned and grabbed his scroll. "Pawns can be replaced easily, I need to cut the head off the beast. Besides all these weapons are basic shit, no high tech Atlas weaponry in sight that Jiraiya mentioned. So while this was a blow to their plans it was a small one at best." The young Branwen explained in a frustrated voice. "Regardless I'll make a call to Oz and get the area locked down."

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(With Raven)

The mother of Naruto was in her private tent and holding a cup of tea while she pondered on her own thoughts. While she did this a girl holding a tea set stood to Raven's side. The girl was a young woman with tan-colored skin, short brown hair and icy blue eyes. On her left arm she bore a tattoo of a bird rising from flowers. The girl also wore a brown vest over a torn white shirt, with a collar that appears to spike up behind her neck. Lastly she had maroon-colored pants with the right side rolled up to her thigh and dark brown knee guards that go down to her brown boots.

"Vernal." Raven spoke the girl's name in a flat tone as she sipped on some tea. She then glanced over to the girl with her red eyes. "You've been rather silent, tell me what troubles you?"

The now named Vernal bit the bottom of her lip and gripped the tray in her hand. "Are we really going to aid Beacon? I know Naruto is important to you, but it's just. . . "

"We would be risking everything to aid Beacon and my son. The latter of whom is regarded as a deserter like my brother among the tribe. So I'm sure most like yourself are against my declaration to aid Beacon."

Vernal simply nodded. "Yes."

Raven sighed and motioned across the table. "Take a seat Vernal and let me explain something to you."

Complying without question, Vernal hunched over and kneeled down across from Raven. This action caused Raven to smile at the girl.

"As you being my most loyal follower I've come to teach you much about this world, far more than those idiotic headmaster whom you ran away from. However, answer me this Vernal why did I take you under my wing?" Raven asked.

Vernal lowered her head. "You saw my uses."

"No I saw an opportunity to prepare myself for the future. You see Vernal, Salem wants all the relics and Maidens. So by playing my cards right I ensure survival. Now since Beacon has two relics and a Maiden I must guarantee Salem won't obtain any of those great powers."

"I see so that's why you want to help Beacon. It's not just because of Naruto, but you wanna stop Salem from growing stronger." Vernal spoke in a soft tone.

Raven sighed. "The problem is I know Beacon is a lost cause and will fall regardless of my intervention. So that's why I'm forming my own plan and agenda."

Vernal raised her eyebrow. "What are you planning?"

Raven gave Vernal a fiery eyed gaze. "I won't aid Beacon, I will merely ensure the safety of my son and his partner." The mother then took a small pause before standing up. "Then the tribe will have a new Maiden and Relic wielder to have at our disposal."

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(One day later, at Beacon Academy)

Naruto was currently seated by his partner Nora and the duo along with their leader and friends were watching Pyrrha. The young redhead warrior was currently engaging Cardin and the bully's team in a one on four battle, a fight which Pyrrha was easily winning. An outcome which caused Naruto to lose all interest in watching the battle and move his focus to the previous night.

After he had contacted Ozpin the headmaster had personally arrived to oversee the location and seize all the weapons and dust. The man was disappointed that Naruto had done the operation without telling anyone and had left no survivors to interrogate. However, Ozpin was at least pleased that Naruto had done a large counter attack to the White Fang's plans.

Nora who was brought up to speed by her partner this morning was slightly annoyed with the blond. However, she knew how Naruto thought and just decided to let her feelings on the matter go. Though Naruto did keep his kill count to himself and didn't share with Nora that he massacred a large number of White Fang members.

Speaking of Nora the girl placed her attention away from Pyrrha and looked to her partner, noticing he was spaced out. So nudging her partner Nora smiled.

"She's really amazing." Nora whispered, speaking of how great of a fighter Pyrrha was.

Glancing to his partner Naruto was brought out of his daze. "Yeah she's talented." Was the boy's simple reply, while he watched Pyrrha finish off her opponents. "Which is why Oz has his eyes on her."

Nora nodded. "Yeah I know." The girl replied in a low sad voice.

Clapping echoing throughout the room Taiyang approached a victorious Pyrrha. "Great job as usual Pyrrha." The rugged blond praised.

Pyrrha took a small bow of respect. "Thank you professor Xiao Long."

Tai grinned and nodded. "Well I know Pyrrha is a hard act to follow, but we have time for one more match. So do we have any volunteers?"

The room was silent and Taiyang looked around the room to all his students. His three children didn't show any interest in volunteering, but the partner of his oldest daughter did grab his attention. She was obviously distracted like her son, but unlike Naruto she seemed sleep deprived and on edge.

"Blake you've been rather reserved as of late. Why don't you come down for a spar?" Taiyang offered.

Blake who was dealing with the harsh truth that the White Fang was working with criminals looked down. She didn't want to fight and was about to decline Taiyang, but someone spoke up before her.

"I'll volunteer." A voice declared, which caused everyone to look over to one Mercury Black.

Tai grabbed a small scroll and nodded. "Okay Mr. Black, let's just find you a proper opponent."

"No need." Mercury declared as he stood up straight and pointed forward. "I'll fight him."

Everyone looked down to where Mercury pointed with surprise, while an uninterested set of red eyes glared him down.

Taiyang cleared his throat and looked at his oldest child and then to Mercury. "Well unfortunately Ozpin had requested that Naruto be kept from participating in these kind of matches."

Everyone in the room mainly team RWBY and Jaune looked to Naruto with surprise. Everyone present knew Naruto never participated in their sparring matches, but they never knew it was under the order of Ozpin himself.

Mercury scoffed. "What kind of lame excuse is that? Is the little bandit boy afraid of getting his ass handed to him?"

Naruto remained silent and merely looked away and turned his shoulder to Mercury, an action that caused the boy to grit his teeth. Nora on the other hand placed a hand on Naruto and scowled at Mercury.

"I wouldn't start a fight with my partner jerk!" The Winter Maiden declared.

Yang nodded and tightened her fist. "Yeah my brother would take you down no problem." The girl added before standing up. "If you wanna fight someone I'll take you down a peg or two."

Mercury laughed and shook his head. "Wow are you really gonna hide behind these two annoying girls? Man I heard you were the strongest student at Beacon, but I guess you're just a coward."

Nora and yang growled at the boy's insults and now Ruby, Weiss and Jaune were freely glaring at the disrespectful boy. Taiyang on the other hand was watching the situation grow worse and was thinking of ending the conflict. However, instead he wanted to see how his son would react to the situation.

"Listen punk!" Jaune began as he stood up. "If you wanna keep talking about my friends forget fighting Yang I'll take you on!"

Ruby stood to her feet. "Yeah I won't stand for you talking bad about my big siblings." The girl declared before making a childish fighting stance. "So I'd be more than happy to fight you!"

"You losers are way out of your league in challenging me. So what do you say bandit boy? Last chance to prove you're not a coward." Mercury insulted.

The group gathering around Naruto growing larger the blond eventually let a low sigh escape his lips. "You don't need to tell people how great you are. Confidence is silent, insecurities are loud and only the foolish pick fights they can't finish." The blond Branwen declared before glancing back over to Mercury. His eyes lifeless and showing absolutely no interest in Mercury whatsoever.

Mercury tightened his fists, while Cinder watched the blond with an interested look.

"Why you." The boy seethed in an anger filled voice.

Nora laughed loudly at what her partner had said. "You sure told him Naruto! Look at him, he doesn't know what to say!"

Mercury gritted his teeth. "You stupid whore shut up!" The boy insulted, an action that caused Naruto to grip his fists.

Nora scowled at the boy's insult, but she then looked to her partner who was rather quiet. Something that actually made her worried about what he might do next.

To everyone's surprise Naruto stood to his feet and walked down to the fighting platform. "I'll be fighting today it seems." The boy declared to his father, he then look up and raised in eyebrow. "Is that okay with you Oz."

An intercom coming up the voice of Beacon's headmaster came through. "Yes Naruto, I just ask you practice restraint."

Naruto scoffed at the man, while many were shocked that their headmaster was watching their matches. "You know I don't listen to orders well."

Mercury walking down in front of Naruto the boy striked a small fighting stance. "Where is your weapon bandit boy?"

Naruto placed his hands into his pocket. "Currently don't have a weapon, it's not like I need one."

"Well aren't you the arrogant one?" Mercury taunted in a smug tone.

Naruto glanced to his father. "Let's just get this over with."

Tai nodded and held his hands up. "Are both fighters ready?" The man asked, earning two nods. "Alright remember the rules specified at the start of class and BEGIN!"

Not wasting any time Mercury dashed forward and pointed his boot at Naruto, but to his surprise the blond was gone. In fact to Mercury's complete and utter shock Naruto was standing by his side with a fist cocked back to strike. This caused Mercury to readjust himself and take a spin kick at Naruto, while taking a shot with his boot to increase the speed of his strike.

However, once again to Mercury's surprise his kick only met an empty space and Naruto was nowhere to be found. Next a firm a hand gripping down on Mercury's shoulder, Naruto casually leaned into the ear of the wide eyed Mercury.

"I'm going to break you." Was the soft promise that was whispered into the boy's ear.

Being forcefully spun around Mercury had no chance to avoid the elbow that was violently shoved into his face. An action that caused the boy to be dazed and stagger backwards. Unfortunately for Mercury Naruto was far from finished and started to quickly beat down the boy with fast punches. First it was just quick punches to the ribs, stomach and face. Using the difference in speed and skill to insure Mercury was unable to dodge any strikes. However, as Naruto continued his assault his attacks started to hit harder and strike more vital areas of Mercury's body.

Up above Cinder watched her subordinate being absolutely manhandled with a small smirk. Then as she kept her focus on the young ruthless Branwen she licked her lips. Her master had given her special instructions to dispose of Naruto, but Cinder had to admit she was growing to like the young blond. He was strong, confident and showed no mercy to his foes. All traits that Cinder found appealing and made the girl interested in turning the boy to her side.

However, as a loud and obnoxious cheer grabbed her ears Cinder looked down to Nora. She was another person Cinder was assigned to deal with, but at the same time Nora was Cinder's biggest hurdle in obtaining her new obsession. That obsession of course being the loyalty and affection of Naruto Branwen.

Nora feeling odd looked over her shoulders and her gaze found itself meeting Cinders. The two then shared a look, Nora scowled while Cinder simply gave a look of superiority.

"Man Naruto's kicking the shit out of that guy!" Was the loud observation of one Sun Wukong.

Nora turning her attention from Cinder who scoffed in response looked to Sun. The latter of whom was sitting by Blake with his friend Neptune.

Yang grinned and leaned a little towards Sun. "What did you expect monkey boy? He's my brother after all."

Sun laughed in response. "I guess that's fair, but I guess this is why Naruto is known as Beacon's best."

Nora smiled at the Faunus and the rest of her friends. "You guys don't even know how strong Naruto really is." The girl declared in a proud tone. "Right now he's just toying with Mercury. Shows him for picking a fight with my partner!"

Weiss scoffed. "Please the only reason that buffoon is fighting is because that jerk insulted you Nora."

Nora turned red at what Weiss had said. "What no way! Naruto just wanted to have a little fun."

Ruby giggled and poked Nora's side. "Nope Weiss is right, we all saw that gleam Naruto got in his eyes when Mercury insulted you."

Yang laughed and placed two hands on Nora's shoulder. "It's so cute my brother is defending his woman!" The twin teased, making Nora even more red.

Pyrrha who was now by Nora's side laughed and wrapped an arm around the Winter Maiden. "Aww don't blush Nora, we all know you like him. Maybe you should ask him to the upcoming dance?"

Nora looked down. "I don't know." The girl mumbled in a low voice.

Pyrrha gave an innocent smile. "Well if you don't, we might have to give you a little help."

Nora looked around wide eyed to Pyrrha, Yang, Ruby, Jaune and surprisingly Weiss. All of whom gave a look that agreed with what Pyrrha had declared.

"You guys wouldn't." Nora mumbled.

Yang gave a small smirk. "Oh we would."

Nora looked down and frowned. "Please don't." The girl whined in a low voice.

Ruby giggled. "Well you better make a move then." The small girl teased.

Nora took a long sigh and was about to reply, but a loud pain filled scream filled the room and caused everyone to look back down to the fight. Apparently while everyone was busy talking amongst themselves they missed a portion of the fight and currently Naruto was standing overtop of Mercury. The latter of whom was face down and not looking in the best of shape.

Nora and company then looked up to the screen that displayed each teen's aura levels. Naruto was of course untouched, while Mercury was one hit away from being completely out of aura. Next to everyone's surprise, Naruto reached down and lifted Mercury up by his shirt and held the boy up.

"I warned you once about watching your tongue around my partner." Naruto began in a low plain voice.

Mercury shaking and his aura flickering took a deep breath to steady himself. "I. . .g-give up. . . I c-can't b-beat you."

Hearing this Taiyang held his hands up and walked over towards the two. "Stop! This fight is over!"

Up above Yang chuckled. "Hah he got his ass kicked, no surprise there!"

Weiss sighed. "It was a foreseeable outcome."

Neptune listened to the girl's, but as he noticed that Naruto was not letting go of Mercury he raised his eyes. "Um guys, why is Naruto not letting go of that Mercury guy?"

Sun folded his arms and tilted his head. "Did he not hear the match is over?"

Many looked to the blond with questioned looks, but Nora caught the spark in her partner's eyes. Then as she saw Naruto smirk and coil his fist back her eyes grew wide.

"Oh no." Nora mumbled in a low voice, causing everyone to look at the young maiden. "He wouldn't."

Before anyone could ask what Nora meant, they all turned to Naruto. Who punched Mercury square in the face, shattering the boy's aura and sending him flying straight into a wall. An action that caused the entire room to go silent, while Naruto simply scoffed and walked away.

"Mercy is for the foolish and weak." The boy declared before walking off.

Taiyang watched his son walk past him with a stunned expression. He knew his son was like his mother, but now he could finally see Naruto was just as ruthless as Raven. However, shaking himself from his daze he rushed over to Mercury.

"Class is finished for the day, everyone is excused!" Taiyang shouted, while he looked over Mercury. The teen was beaten, bruised, bloody and unconscious. Naruto obviously did a number on the teen, but after a trip to the infirmary and some rest he would recover.

Nora watching her partner leave the sparring room frowned and jumped out of her seat. "Don't you go anywhere!" The girl shouted, while she chased after her partner with their friends following close behind.

Ignoring his friends Naruto placed his hands into his pockets and continued to walk away. Though Nora quickly caught up and placed a hand onto her partner, halting his movements. So taking a deep sigh Naruto turned around to face his partner and friends.

"What?" The blond asked, while Nora simply scowled.

"You went too far and you know it." Nora declared as she pouted and placed both hands on her hips. "The fight was over!"

Naruto look to his partner then his sisters and finally his friends, all of whom seemed to be on the same page as Nora. So rolling his eyes, Naruto scoffed.

"Please I was gracious enough to spare his pathetic life." Was the cold reply Naruto gave.

Weiss huffed. "Oh how kind of you." The girl replied sarcastically.

Ruby frowned and brought a hand up to her mouth. "You are joking right Naruto? You wouldn't actually kill someone?" The youngest asked, as she held her older brother in a high regard and didn't want to believe he would take anyone's life.

Naruto studied his little sister and noticed how upset the concept of him killing made her. Unfortunately for Ruby, Naruto was no stranger to killing. Yesterday he slaughtered a gang of White Fang followers and they weren't his first kills. Since he had killed everyone from criminals, civilians and even huntsmen.

Sighing to himself, Naruto decided to come up with a good lie to distract his little sister. Because he didn't want his sisters or Nora to learn about all the horrible things he has done. Though before Naruto could open his mouth a chuckling caught everyone's attention.

"Of course your brother would have killed Mercury." Was the declaration from Cinder Fall, who was standing before the group of friends with a smirk. "Or have you poor sheltered children haven't heard of the Fox Bandit?"

Yang narrowed her eyes at the girl and folded her arms. "You got some nerve coming over here after what your jerk of a teammate said."

Cinder laughed. "His actions do not reflect my own. So calm down."

Nora glared at the girl, as she wasn't a fan of Cinder one bit. "Yeah I'm sure they don't."

Cinder rolled her eyes, but Jaune quickly spoke up. "Wait let's backup, what did you mean about the Fox Bandit?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and tightened his fists, while Cinder simply smiled.

"Oh just a boogie man of sorts, except he's very real." Cinder began before looking right at Naruto. "Rumors talk about a young bandit with blond hair and a fox Grimm mask, a bandit from the Raven Branwen tribe. Stories go this guy slaughtered everyone from innocent people to huntsmen. He's also a heartless person who steals from the weak and watches without a care as others are killed by the creatures of Grimm."

Pyrrha raised her eyebrow and glanced to Naruto. "Are you hinting that this so called Fox Bandit is Naruto?"

Cinder nodded. "Isn't it obvious?"

Ruby scowled at the older girl. "You're lying, my big brother would never do anything like that!"

Hearing his sister defending him, Naruto looked away and cringed.

Weiss huffed and looked away from cinder and to the ceiling. "Even I have to agree Naruto isn't a monster like you are making this bandit out to be."

Nora and Yang both looked to Naruto, the later of whom wasn't looking at anyone still.

"Yeah why would Naruto kill huntsmen?" Sun asked, while giving out an awkward laugh.

Cinder shrugged her shoulders. "Just ask Naruto for the truth then."

Yang looked to her brother and frowned. "Naruto is she telling the truth?"

Naruto remained silent and slowly looked back to his friends. Nora seeing her partner's look felt a sadness build up in her chest, since she could obviously tell something was bothering her partner. Though the blond was still not responding to anyone.

"Naruto." Nora began in a low voice. "Just answer the question."

Naruto closed his eyes and thought over his words. He hated his past and feared anyone learning about what he had done. As Naruto didn't want to lose the love and respect of those he's came to care about.

"It's true." Naruto declared before his eyes became hard and ice cold regardless of their burning red color. "I've stolen from the dead and the helpless, I've watched Grimm tear people to shreds with no remorse and I've killed more people than the combined number of Grimm you've all defeated placed together."

Ruby placed her hand to her mouth in horror, while Weiss merely looked at Naruto with wide eyes. Meanwhile Blake, Sun and Neptune were simply too shocked to even think of anything to say. Then there was Jaune and Pyrrha, both of whom were just as surprised as everyone else.

Yang on the other hand looked at her twin with a sad look. Just wondering what a life being raised by their mother turned him into. Finally there was Nora who was saddened by how troubled and down her partner looked.

The silence driving Naruto on edge the blond gripped his fists and glared at everyone present. "Quit giving me that look!" Naruto yelled in anger causing everyone to be taken back.

Nora reached out slowly for her partner. "Naruto." The girl began, as she reached out to comfort the boy she had come to adore.

Seeing his partner extend herself out, Naruto was about to accept Nora's hand. Though the words from earlier landed into his head, titles like monster, heartless and killer. All of which caused Naruto to retract away from Nora.

"Just everyone leave me alone!" The blond shouted in anger once more before turning around and running away. Leaving a stunned group of friends and family members behind.

Nora not letting her partner leave that easily shouted his name and ran after him. While everyone else simply stayed behind, everyone except Cinder who smiled and walked off as well.

"I can't believe what Naruto has done." Weiss spoke in a low voice. "That killer has been around us this whole time."

Yang's eyes flashing red the girl quickly grabbed onto Weiss and hoisted the girl up. "Don't talk about my brother like that! You don't know what he's gone through! None of us do!"

Blake nodded. "We shouldn't be so quick to judge him. And this is coming from a former member of the White Fang."

Jaune looked down. "But why would he keep this from us?"

Pyrrha placed a hand on her partner's shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want other people knowing all the terrible things I've done in my past."

"I guess you're right." Jaune replied in a sad voice.

"Guys we should go find Naruto and try to sort everything out. I mean he's my big brother and all of our friend." Ruby declared to the group.

Yang finally let go of Weiss and nodded. "Ruby is right, Nora already took after him so we should catch up." The blond twin declared, while thinking how much she respected Nora for how she treats her brother.

Pyrrha nodded. "We are right behind you Yang, lead the way!"

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(With Naruto)

Seated alone at a bar far away from Beacon, Naruto quickly downed another shot of whiskey before shaking his glass to the bartender.

"More!" The blond declared in a slightly drunk voice.

"Naruto is this really needed?" Ren asked in a low voice.

Focusing hard Naruto managed to completely block Ren out of his mind. Then as he got some more alcohol, the young Branwen continued to drink. Though as he drunk, Naruto felt a presence from behind. One that was eventually followed by a soft hand on his back.

"Hey." Was the soft reply Naruto gave without even looking at who it was.

Being forcefully turned around Naruto was placed face to face with Nora. An action that caused the blond to look away. Though Nora quickly placed the blond's eyes back on her by moving a hand under his chin and moving his head.

"Idiot." The girl insulted in a low voice. "It doesn't matter what you've done. I've got to know the real Naruto and despite your many, many MANY-..

"Are you going somewhere with this?" Naruto asked with an emotionless expression.

Nora giggled. "Despite your many shortcomings, you're the best person I know. You're my most precious person and to be honest I don't care what you've done. Because if it meant protecting you I'd do everything you've ever done and more!"

Naruto smiled and rose to his feet then as he stood over Nora he wrapped his arms around the girl who came to love and admire.

"Why does someone like me have such an amazing person in my life?" Naruto asked in a low voice.

Nora smiled. "You've said it before you're just lucky Naruto Branwen. But I'd say it's more than luck. . . It's more like well you know."

"I think I know what you mean." Naruto admitted in a low voice.

Naruto backed away from Nora and grinned while placing a hand under her chin. An action which caused Nora to turn red.

"What are you doing?" The girl asked in a flustered voice.

Gazing at Nora with care and love Naruto simply smirked. "Taking what is mine."

"What does that-. . ." Nora began, but was cut short as her partner pressed his lips against her own. An action which caused Nora to melt into her partner's arms. Then as they held their kiss for a few moments, Naruto and Nora eventually broke apart and gazed at one another.

Stunned and unable to speak Nora blushed as Naruto pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you Nora."

Nora smiled wide and latched tight onto her partner. "I love you too Naruto, even though you would be an idiot and confess in a bar of all places."

Naruto laughed and held onto Nora once more. "What do you expect I learned love from my alcoholic mother."

Nora simply joined in on her partner's laughter, while on the outside of the bar one Yang Xiao Long was jumping with excitement. While her sister Ruby and friend Pyrrha were both beaming with joy. As they along with the rest of their friends came to find Naruto, but instead they found their favorite two people in their first intimate moment.

Naruto grinned and ran a hand through his partner's hair. "So I guess this makes us a little more than just partner's then?"

Nora nodded her head. "Yeah I think-. . ."

"I'm gonna be the best aunt ever!" One loud very loud Yang declared.

"No I'm gonna be the best aunt!" The voice of Ruby protested.

Naruto and Nora bother froze and a black shadow overcasted their faces.

"Like that idiot needs to reproduce!" Was the loud shout of Weiss.

"Oh I hope I can be Nora's maid of honor!" Pyrrha shouted out.

Naruto and Nora both snapped their heads to the bar's exit.

"I wanna be Naruto's best man! He's my best friend after all!" Jaune declared loudly.

Sun laughed awkwardly. "I'm sure you are."

"I'm gonna kill them all." Naruto mumbled in a low voice.

Nora sighed and shook her head. "They are probably here for the same reason as me." The girl tried to reason to her partner. "Why don't we go out there and face them together."

Naruto looked at his now girlfriend's outstretched hand and grinned. "If it's with you I'll do anything." The blond declared before the duo made their way out of the bar and to their friends.

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Chapter end

Hey I'm back and I hope you like the update, next chapter we will be working our way to the dance of volume 2 and some shipping nonsense. While also continuing to build up to other big things I Have planned. Anyways leave a comment and if you have any questions feel free to ask.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13. In Our Backyard

Naruto groaned in frustration and kicked a stack of boxes in response. See soon after Naruto had explained himself to his friends and sisters, everyone seemed more sympathetic with the blond and made amends. However, once Naruto returned to Beacon Ozpin wasn't exactly pleased with how Naruto thrashed a student from a different school. So as punishment Ozpin forced Naruto to be a helping hand for the dance committee, a group ran by his sister and her team.

"Hey you buffoon don't break anything!" Weiss yelled loudly, while glaring Naruto down.

Holding up his middle finger Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fuck you, fuck this dance and fuck Oz for making me do this!" The blond retorted.

Walking past her partner with a large speaker on her shoulder Nora simply shook her head. "Naruto be nice or no alcohol for a month."

Huffing in response Naruto jerked his head to the side, an action which caused his twin to laugh from the side of the room.

"Find something funny sister?" Naruto asked, while giving his twin a one eyed glare.

Nodding her head Yang slapped her leg. "You're so whipped it's hilarious!"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched and he turned fully towards his sister. "I'll show you who's whipped!" The blond yelled while gripping his fist. "I'll beat you into the grou-.."

"Naruto!" Nora yelled loudly, causing the two to share a glance. At first Naruto held his ground and kept a cold expression, but Nora simply raised an eyebrow. While giving a look that screamed for the boy to say something in response. Soon after a short stare down, Naruto dropped his shoulders and grabbed a box.

"I'm gonna go over by Ruby and hang some fucking decorations." Naruto grumbled to himself as he walked off.

Laughing loudly, Yang walked over to Nora and hugged the girl. "When I thought you and my brother dating couldn't get any better you've proven me wrong!"

Nora giggled and slightly backed away from Yang. "Hehe well Ozpin did ask me to try and keep Naruto out of trouble. So I'm just trying to keep that promise."

Weiss walked over to the girl's and grinned. "Well you're doing an alright job, but let's talk serious. Which doily do you two think is better?"

Nora raised an eyebrow and inspected the two white decorations Weiss was holding. "They both look the same."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Weiss we want this dance to be fun. Not one of your boring social events."

Weiss huffed and turned her head away. "If I don't get doilies you won't get a fog machine."

"You guys are getting a fog machine?!" An excited voice asked from behind.

Turning around the three girls found Sun and Neptune entering the ballroom. An action which caused Weiss to beam with excitement as she saw the attractive blue haired boy.

"We were talking about it, is that something you would like to see?" Weiss asked eagerly.

Neptune folded his arms and grinned. "Yeah that would be pretty cool."

"Good cause we are totally having fog machines!" Weiss quickly declared.

Nora and Yang both rolled their eyes as they saw their friend fawn over the blue haired boy. Though while Weiss was busy trying to flirt with Neptune, Naruto and Ruby were on the other side of the room placing decorations. While the brother and sister duo worked, Ruby kept giving her brother strange glances. A behavior Naruto easily picked up on, so while Naruto placed a decoration on the wall he looked over to Ruby.

"Something on your mind kiddo?" The oldest sibling asked. "Maybe something about what we talked about yesterday?"

Ruby's eyes widened and she looked at her brother with surprise. "Ahhh no!" The girl quickly replied, not expecting her brother to call her out like he did.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Mom said Summer was an awful liar, you clearly inherited that trait. So I'll ask once again Ruby, what's bothering you?"

Ruby looked down and twiddled her thumbs. "Well I know everything you've done in the past was because of your mother and tribe. But you've killed a lot of people and one day I may have to kill someone."

Naruto nodded and took a deep sigh. "It is true that huntsmen are at times forced to kill other humans and faunus. However little sister you're a far ways away from being a full on huntress. So you don't need to worry yourself with being forced to kill anyone."

Ruby tightened her hands and looked to the ground. "I know that, it's just. . ." The younger sibling bit her lip and tried to finish her thoughts. "I wanna know how you can cope with something like that?"

Naruto once again let a sigh escape his lips. "So you wanna know how to cope for when the day comes when you must take a life?" The blond summarized, causing Ruby to nod.

"Yeah it's something that's really bothered me lately." Ruby admitted.

Naruto folded his arms and gave his sister a hard piercing gaze. "The first time I took someone's life I instantly felt sick and emptied my stomach everywhere. For nights I had nightmares and I couldn't get the individuals face out of my thoughts. I was miserable and felt like a monster and I regretted my actions." The blond explained to a wide eyed Ruby. "My mother never really helped me overcome the feelings that I had. She just expected me to be fine and continue following her orders without question."

Ruby frowned at what her brother was telling her. "But you act like killing comes so natural to you!"

Naruto revealed a small flask. "Repetition and a small drinking habit does wonders." The older sibling explained in a low voice. "I've become numb to killing Ruby, as I don't feel anything when I take a life. It's not healthy and if I could give you any advice it would be this. Keep moving forward and don't let the past hold you down."

A small tear in Ruby's eye, the smaller teen latched onto Naruto's side. "That's how you do it?"

Naruto smiled at the small red and black bundle around his hip and slightly ruffled her hair.

"Yeah kiddo, that's the best you can do. No matter what difficulties come your way in life, you just gotta keep going." The blond whispered in a low voice, as he and Ruby enjoyed their small sibling moment. Though the moment didn't last for long as Nora quickly jumped onto her boyfriend's shoulders.

"Naruto~!" Nora whined in a drawled out voice, while she gripped tightly onto the blond. "I'm hungry, let's go get some food!"

Naruto felt Nora rub her head into his shoulder and sighed. Then by patting her head he slowly pushed the girl off of him. "If you've forgotten I'm forced to help decorate this dance as my punishment."

Nora tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "So?" The girl replied back. "What's Ozpin gonna do if you bail? He won't kick you out of the school so you can basically do what you want."

Naruto looked down to Nora with wide eyes as the gears started to turn in his mind. He was extremely valuable to Ozpin, so the headmaster would never expel him. So this caused Naruto to come to a revelation.

"That's right me and you are fucking untouchable!" Naruto declared, much to the confusion of Ruby. "Let's bail Nora!"

Nora grinned happily and jumped back onto her partner's back. She may or may have not just put this idea in Naruto's head for her own means. Though she didn't need to tell anyone that.

"Yay time for food!"

Weiss looked over and noticed Naruto and Nora leaving the ballroom. So stomping her feet and glaring at the two she held a hand up. "What are you doing? Ozpin ordered you to work for us and you are not done!"

Once again Naruto flipped Weiss off and laughed loudly. "Piss off Ice Queen, no one tells me or my Nora what to do!"

"We are untouchable bitch!" Nora chimed in happily.

"Oum I love this woman!" Naruto declared, as he playfully ruffled Nora's hair.

Sun watched the two exit the ballroom with a small laugh. "Well looks like you need some help decorating. Me and Neptune could pitch in."

Yang nodded and looked over to Weiss, the latter of whom was to busy fuming to even respond. "We appreciate the help Sun."

"I officially hate the both of them." Weiss seethed in a low rage filled tone. A reaction that caused everyone present to laugh at the girl.

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(Later that day with Jaune)

Walking down the hallways of Beacon Academy with a depressed aura around him, one Jaune Arc wasn't in the best of spirits. He had a guitar slung over his back and was dealing with the aftermath of another rejection from Weiss. Honestly for a boy who grew up with seven sisters he truly didn't understand women whatsoever.

"Man how can I get her to like me?" Jaune asked himself in a depressed voice. "I need advice from someone."

"Advice on what leader?" A sly voice asked, while to Jaune's surprise an arm wrapped around his shoulders.

Being slightly taken back, Jaune looked at his fellow teammate with surprise. "Naruto!" The leader shouted in shock. "Where did you come from?"

Naruto grinned and roughed Jaune up a little. "From behind you dumbass, didn't you hear me calling for you?"

Jaune looked down. "Sorry I was lost in thought."

Naruto took his free hand and scratched his head. "Well what do you need advice on? If it's how to not fight like a total wuss I might be able to help you."

"No it's not that. . . Wait you think I fight like a wuss?" Jaune asked loudly.

Naruto laughed in response and patted his friends backside. Causing Jaune to slightly stagger forward. "My adorable little sister could kick your ass!" The red eyed boy declared proudly. "But you've gotten better over your time at Beacon."

Jaune sighed and seemed even more depressed. "Sadly I can't argue."

"Oh come on Jaune it was a joke!" Naruto pointed out. "Just tell me what's got you so moody."

Jaune took a deep breath and released another sigh. "It's Weiss, I just like her so much and she won't give me the time of day."

Naruto rolled his eyes and walked off, causing Jaune to drop his jaw and chase after his teammate.

"Wait Naruto don't leave!" Jaune begged. "What should I do?"

Huffing to himself Naruto stopped and turned around to face his leader. "You want my advice, give up chasing after Weiss." The blond began in a flat voice.

"An Arc never gives up!" The boy declared.

Naruto scoffed. "That's because you're an idiot."

Jaune hung his head. "Well how did you and Nora work out?"

Naruto rubbed his chin. "Hmm let's see, I think she was won over by my wonderful personality and talent for drinking." Naruto began, causing a sweat drop to roll down Jaune's head. "Also those times I felt her up helped."

Jaune turned red and an image of him trying to feel up Weiss played out in his head. A scenario that as one would imagine didn't work well.

"None of this is helping me!" Jaune whined loudly.

Naruto took a deep sigh. "Of course not idiot, me and Nora are different from you and Weiss. Me and Nora spend every day together and have been through more together than any duo at this school. But most importantly our personalities blend well together, you and Weiss just simply don't work."

"So I should just give up?" Jaune asked sadly.

Naruto shook his head and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Listen Jaune one day you'll find a girl who likes you for you. Just like how Nora loves me despite my very few shortcomings."

Jaune raised an an eyebrow. "Like how you're an alcoholic momma's boy who feels up his partner?"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched at how Jaune described his personality and actions.

"I like him." Ren commented with a slight chuckle.

Naruto lightly punched Jaune in the chest, but Naruto made sure to use enough force to send his friend rolling down the hall. "Good luck with Weiss Jaune!" The blond mumbled before walking off.

Coming to a stop at the end of the hall Jaune was seeing stars, but a laugh caused him to look up. Allowing Jaune to see a dark skinned girl with green hair and deep red eyes.

"Need some help?" Emerald asked in a friendly tone, while she reached out to help Jaune up.

Accepting the hand Jaune was pulled to his feet, which allowed him vision of Emerald and her teammate Cinder.

"Excuse me, but I found what I was looking for." Cinder declared, as she brushed past Jaune and headed towards Naruto. The latter of whom was already completely down the hall.

Jaune raised his eyebrow in confusion. "What is she going on about?"

Emerald winked at Jaune and followed after Cinder. "She's taken a liking to your teammate."

Watching both girls chase after Naruto, Jaune merely shook his head. "Well she is in for a disappointment." The blond haired leader mumbled before walking off.

Over with Naruto, the oldest of the Branwen twins casually walked by a classroom. Where to his surprise Blake and his twin Yang were both walking out of together. An occurrence that peaked his curiosity, since neither had class at the moment.

"Yang?" Naruto began in a confused voice. "What are you two doing?"

Yang waved her brother off. "Me and Blake were having a heart to heart." She explained before wrapping an arm around the girl. "Which turned out great since I convinced her to come to the dance."

Naruto placed a hand to his side and smirked. "Have you two even found dates?" The blond asked in a joking manner.

Yang snorted. "Who needs a date, no one can keep up with me!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "And that's why you're single."

"Rather single than a whipped bitch!"

Blake giggled as she watched the two twins exchange each other middle fingers.

"Well speaking of dates, where is Nora? Normally you two are joined at the hip." Blake pointed out.

Naruto sighed and pulled out his flask. "Her and Pyrrha went shopping for dresses." The red eyed boy explained as he took a long drink.

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Does Pyrrha have a date?"

"Nope!" Naruto replied casually. "Worst case scenario she third wheels with me and Nora!"

"Poor Pyrrha, going with you two is worse than having no date." Yang replied, earning an annoyed look from her brother.

"Have I told you Ruby is my favorite sister?" Naruto asked, causing Yang to roll her eyes.

"Whatever." The female twin mumbled; while her eyes caught an approaching figure from behind her brother. "And can we help you?"

Turning around Naruto was surprised to see Cinder and Emerald standing behind him. Both of whom held a large smile on their faces.

"You can't, but your brother can." Cinder declared in a flirty tone.

Blake narrowed her eyes. "What do you want with Naruto?"

"None of your concern." Cinder quickly replied.

Yang huffed and folded her arms. "When it involves my brother it sure is my concern."

Cinder rolled her eyes and was about to reply, but Naruto decided to speak up instead.

"Just get to the point already Cinder. I don't have all fucking day." The young Branwen declared in a flat voice.

Cinder chuckled. "Right to the point, that's what I like about you Branwen. You're ruthless and don't deal with people's-. . ."

"I think you missed the part where I said get to the point." Naruto cut in sharply, earning a smile from his sister and Blake.

Cinder nodded. "As you wish." The girl replied before extending a hand outward. "I was curious if you would like to accompany me to the upcoming dance?"

"That's it?" Naruto asked in a bored tone, while he placed a hand to his hip. "I'll pass."

Cinder looked honestly shocked at Naruto's outright rejection. It wasn't something she was accustomed to. Emerald on the other hand glared at the boy.

"How dare you turn Cinder down!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Many reasons, first being that me and my partner are going together."

Recomposing herself Cinder laughed softly. "Well if that's the case just tell the little tomboy you found a more suitable date."

Naruto glared at Cinder, but before he could speak Yang tossed an arm around her twin. Then by giving the most shit eating grin possible she laughed.

"What you're not picking up on Cinder is my brother is going with Nora not because they are partner's. See they are a couple and actually that's all thanks to that little story you shared the other day." Yang explained, catching Cinder off guard. As she wanted to place a divide between Naruto and his friends, not bring them closer.

Blake smirked and decided to add some more fuel to the fire. "Honestly Cinder you're to thank for making one of the best couples at Beacon possible."

Cinder tightly sucked in her teeth, she was angry and not pleased with Naruto's rejection. However, the prideful woman wouldn't allow those emotions to show through. So taking a large huff she turned away and stuck her nose in the air.

"So be it, your loss Branwen." Cinder declared as she stomped off. "Come on Em."

Emerald giving the trio a quick glare followed her friend and walked off. An action which caused Naruto to shake his head.

"Well that was something." Naruto mumbled in a low voice.

Yang smirked and crossed her arms. "Looks like Nora's got some competition to worry about."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Like that flat chested egomaniac could compare to my perfect Nora. Besides-. . ." Naruto began as he shuddered. "That chick is like a teenage version of mom."

Blake grinned and nudged Naruto. "Isn't that perfect for you momma's boy."

Naruto gave Blake a blank glare. "I used to like you." The red eyed boy admitted.

Yang and Blake both laughed at Naruto, causing the blond to turn off and walk away.

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(With Nora and Pyrrha)

Casually holding a dress in each hand, Pyrrha inspected each one and compared what she liked and disliked with each. They were both fairly modest dresses, which went well with Pyrrha's rather reserved personality. Though it seemed Pyrrha was having trouble deciding which one she preferred, so turning to Nora she held them both high.

"Nora which one do you like best? The red dress or the blue dress?"

Rolling her eyes Nora snatched both dresses from her friend and casted them away. "I hate them both." The orange haired girl admitted before pulling out a new dark red dress with a short skirt and revealing chest area. "You need something that would turn heads."

Holding her hands up in protest, Pyrrha was very uneasy about the new dress Nora was trying to shove into her hands. "I don't know Nora, something like that doesn't seem like my style."

Nora blew out some air and tossed the dress onto her friend. "Well you better try it out cause that's as modest as I'm letting you go. Besides I'm going with something even more risky."

Pulling out another dress for her friend to see, Pyrrha's face actually turned a dark shade of red to match her hair. "Nora!" The young woman shouted, as she really didn't know what else to say.

Nora started to chuckle in a voice that was almost reminiscent of the way Naruto would laugh. "Hehe I'm gonna make that boyfriend of mine drop dead!"

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(A few days later, Night of the dance)

Pacing the ballroom Ruby was frantically searching for her siblings and friends. At first glance she didn't notice anyone, but after scouring the room she eventually found Weiss stationed over by the punch bowl. So awkwardly hobbling her way over to Weiss thanks to her uncomfortable high heels Ruby waved her friend down.

"Hey Weiss! Have you seen everyone else?" Ruby asked in a curious voice.

Shaking her head Weiss took a sigh. "No I haven't seen anyone yet." The girl admitted in a low sad voice, almost like she was depressed for some odd reason.

"You okay Weiss? You seem down in the dumps!" Ruby commented in a concerned voice.

Huffing to herself Weiss looked away. "I'm perfectly fine!"

Ruby tilted her head in confusion and shrugged her shoulders. "Okay then, well did you come with a date?"

Her posture slouching over in defeat, Weiss shook her head. "No." The normally prideful girl declared in a brief moment of weakness.

Ruby smiled wide. "That's okay I didn't ether! I think Naruto and Yang scared everyone away!"

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, but as someone placed her in a headlock the girl was silenced.

"How's it going?" Yang asked in an excited voice. "partying hard?"

"Yang!" Ruby cheered happily.

"Release me you dolt!" Weiss yelled loudly as she struggled against Yang's superior strength.

Yang giggled and pushed Weiss forward. "Hehe lighten up Weiss!"

Brushing herself off and regaining her posture, Weiss sent a cold glare at Yang. "You're just as annoying as your stupid brother."

Yang grinned wide at the insult. "Speaking of my bro, where is he?"

"He's not here yet." Ruby declared in a slightly disappointed tone.

Yang nodded and laughed. "Should have figured, if our bro was here he would have made a grand spectacle already."

Weiss rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to place her two cents in. However, she was stopped by a loud commotion of surprised gasps, sharp whistles and other sounds of astonishment. This caused the three fourths of Team RWBY to shift their eyes to the entrance of the ballroom. Where to their surprise they found Naruto Branwen entering the room with not one, but two dates on his arms.

Naruto himself was dressed in a sharp black tuxedo that hugged his frame, while sporting a blood red tie to match his eyes. On his left arm Pyrrha held onto her friend with an embarrassed face, while dressed in a rather revealing red dress. Though her dress was far more modest than Nora's, who was practically latched onto her boyfriend's hip. Nora was dressed in an off shoulder blood red dress, which tightly stuck to her curvy frame and left one of her legs almost completely exposed along with her bust.

As the trio walked towards Team RWBY they had eyes following them the whole way. As all the males were currently envying Naruto, while the females felt a jealous of how beautiful and happy both Nora and Pyrrha looked.

"Sister's." Naruto called out in a cheerful tone. "How goes your night?"

Yang snorted. "You really dragged poor Pyrrha along with you two!"

Nora placed a hand on her hip and grinned. "Of course! Me and Naruto won't let our girl go stag!"

Weiss rolled her eyes and pointed at the three. "And what about Jaune?"

Looking to one another Naruto and Nora shared an unspoken conversation before shrugging their shoulders.

"Eh, fuck em." Naruto and Nora replied in perfect unison before glancing over to Phyrra.

"If he wasn't such an idiot he would have realized he could have went with his wonderful partner!" Nora declared, making the bashful redhead look down.

Naruto grinned and grabbed Pyrrha by the shoulder, then by moving the girl from side to side he laughed. "His loss and our gain!"

"T-thank you, but I think I'm going over to the punch table." Pyrrha declared in a soft voice.

Naruto laughed and jerked the girl towards the dance floor. "Not a chance Pyrrha, you're gonna live it up tonight!"

"Hell yeah!" Nora chimed in loudly as she followed close behind.

Yang shook her head and went after the three. "Let's not those three have all the fun!" The blond beauty declared as she headed to the dance floor. However, Weiss and Ruby weren't much for dancing and decided to stay back where they were.

While this was going on Blake and Sun eventually made their appearance. Which resulted in the two joining the majority of their friends on the dance floor.

"Looking sharp Naruto." Sun began, while he and Blake started to dance beside the teen.

Naruto grinned at the Faunus. "Not looking so bad yourself monkey boy, but it looks like my sister is stealing your date."

Sun watched Blake and Yang dance with a happy smile. "Yang did call first dance, besides she is the main reason Blake is here. You're sister is a really great person."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "That's debatable." The blond joked before he felt Nora tug onto his clothing. "But it looks like my attention is needed."

Laughing to himself Sun watched Naruto and Nora bring each other in close and begin to dance. Though the Teen wasn't left along as eventually Yang spun Blake in his direction with a wink.

"Be nice to my girl monkey boy." Yang teased at the blushing Faunus pair.

Sun grinned and glanced down to Blake. "Don't worry, she's in good hands."

Blake blushed and looked down and silently danced with her fellow Faunus.

Back over with Naruto and Nora, the young couple were pressed against each other and holding onto one another tightly. As they moved they were in perfect rhythm and did not break eye contact.

"You know Naruto, you haven't told me what you thought of my dress yet." Nora pointed out in a flirty tone.

Slowly leaning into Nora's ear, the young Branwen whispered ever so quietly. Which of course instantly caused Nora to turn absolutely red at whatever the blond had told her. So as Naruto moved his head back he could only grin at Nora's flustered state.

"That's what I think about it." Naruto finished loudly, while a huff of disgust rang throughout Naruto's mind.

"You're an atrocious human." Ren began in a disappointed voice. "Nora seems applauded by your awful behavior."

However, to Ren's surprise Nora gave Naruto a devious grin and slowly leaned into his ear. Then what came next was a small exchange that managed to make Naruto blush and caused Ren to scream in agony within Naruto's mind.

"That's my counter offer my little foxy eared boyfriend." Nora declared in a rather low and sultry voice.

"Nora no." Ren cried in a loud voice. "You use to be so innocent!"

Ignoring Ren, Naruto grinned and gave Nora a soft peck on the lips. "I accept your offer, but I don't think we should leave Pyrrha alone."

Hearing an uproar of laughter, Naruto and Nora found Jaune approaching Pyrrha in a dress. Then as he extended his hand out to dance with the young warrior Nora smiled.

"I think our girl is fine." The Winter Maiden declared.

Naruto chuckled. "Which one of those two is our girl again?"

Nora giggled and pushed Naruto towards the exit. "Like it matters, but now we know our dorm is completely empty."

Naruto nodded and wrapped his arms around Nora. "That we do." The blond replied back in a flirty tone as he and Nora left the dance and went off to their dorm.

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(The next day at Ozpin's Office)

Pacing back and forth General James Ironwood was radiating aggression. To the side of the room Taiyang was resting against the wall with a hardened expression and his arms crossed. Glynda was by his side and seemed annoyed by the actions of James. Meanwhile Ozpin was seated at his desk with his hands folded and gaze focused on the three young individuals in the room. Those three of course being Ruby, Naruto and Nora.

"So please explain everything that transpired last night." Ozpin began, as he motioned his hand to Ruby.

"Well I walked outside to get some fresh air and I noticed someone suspicious." Ruby began her explanation in a soft voice. "So I decided to investigate for myself what was going on."

"And you didn't think to find me or someone else?" Naruto spoke up almost instantly, his voice harboring a slight amount of anger. "You could have got hurt Ruby."

Glancing over to her older sibling Ruby was slightly sceptical as to why the blond was even present during this meeting. As when Ozpin requested to see her, he was very firm that the rest of Team RWBY was to not be present.

"It all happened so fast, I didn't even have time to think!" Ruby argued back.

James nodded. "Regardless you showed bravery and took action like a true huntress. I applaud your actions Miss. Rose."

"Thank you sir." Ruby replied in a low voice.

"Don't encourage this behavior, that's the kind of foolish praise that leads many huntsman and huntresses to their death." Naruto declared, as he was not happy at all when he learned his youngest sister had engaged an invader within Beacon.

Looking down Ruby was slightly taken down by Naruto's words. However, she found the soft touch of Nora on her shoulder calming and supportive.

"Ignore Naruto, I'm proud of you as well Ruby. He's just being too overprotective of you to admit he is also proud." Nora began in a soft tone that earned a huff from Naruto. "Now tell me about the person you ran into last night. Did they have any defining features or did anything seem familiar?"

Looking up to the older girl Ruby was once again confused. She thought Ozpin would be the one asking all the questions, but for some reason Naruto and Nora seemed to be the ones conducting the questioning. Which made the girl wonder even more as to what is going on.

"Well whoever I fought used glass and didn't speak, but I'm almost certain was a female. That's because when her clothing started to glow the individual had a very feminine figure." Ruby explained causing Naruto to nod.

"Embedding dust into clothing." Naruto mumbled in a soft tone. "That's an old technique that isn't used too often anymore."

Ozpin shook his head in agreement. "Right you are Mr. Branwen, which only adds to the mystery of who our little invader is and what her goals were."

"Did we find out what she was doing before Ruby found her?" Taiyang asked.

Glynda shook her head. "No we didn't."

"Which makes this whole situation all the more troubling." James pointed out.

The room going silent for a moment, Ruby looked around and decided to asked the question that was bothering her.

"So why is Naruto and Nora here?" The youngest within the room asked.

"You see every student from all the schools were accounted for at the dance. All except for Naruto and Nora, so they are here to explain themselves." Ozpin answered almost instantly.

Nora turned red in embarrassment while Naruto grinned. "I think you should leave kiddo, this next conversation isn't one for you to hear."

Ruby tilted her head and slightly pouted. "What does that mean?"

Nora buried her face into her hands and groaned. "Ruby please leave, because your brother has absolutely no shame."

Catching on Ozpin made a gesture for Ruby to leave. "You're finished here anyway Miss. Rose, so you can leave. Just try to avoid trouble from here on out."

Slightly backing away Ruby nodded. "Okay I'll try." The girl replied, while slowly leaving the room.

Once Ruby left the room James went into full integration mode. "They were here!" The man yelled loudly, while pointing angrily at Naruto and Nora. "So where were you two?"

Naruto snorted. "Well you see Jimmy, we were in my bed for awhile then Nora's bed. Eventually we did a couple rounds in Jaune's bed for shits and giggles."

James turned pale as he looked at the young teenagers, while Taiyang merely shook his head and mumbled something about "chip off the old block."

"You mean to tell me we were attacked and you two were…" James stopped as he couldn't finish his sentence.

"In our defense we didn't know any of this would happen." Nora began while glancing over to Naruto. "Or that the sex would be so good."

Laughing loudly Naruto wrapped an arm around Nora. "Damn right!"

Ozpin merely sighed and massaged his face. "Getting back on track." The coffee loving headmaster began. "The fact of the matter still stands, Salem is starting to make more moves. Before she had only made slight plays within Vale, but Beacon is a whole other story."

Naruto nodded as he suddenly shifted into a more serious mindset. "Yeah I understand Oz, Salem is right in our backyard and we didn't even know it. We need to think of a counter strategy and fast."

Ozpin nodded. "I couldn't agree more, but I'm curious. How goes your relic training and Nora's Maiden training?"

"I'm getting better with my abilities, but Nora isn't making much progress." The young Branwen explained, causing Nora to hang her head.

Ozpin nodded his head and pondered over his thoughts, while Taiyang made a disappointed sigh.

"It would be beneficial if we had an experienced Maiden to help Nora." Taiyang mumbled to everyone, but mainly just thinking out loud.

However, a lightbulb went off in Naruto's head. "Actually we do have a Maiden to help Nora." The young blond began, earning all eyes towards him. "My mom has the Spring Maiden."

James slammed his foot down and glared at Naruto. "And you're just now sharing this information why?"

Naruto returned James glare with a cold and deadly gaze. "Because believe it or not my allegiance lies with the woman who raised me over all of you. Well all of you except my Nora of course, which is why I will have the Spring Maiden help Nora."

Nora raised her eyebrow and looked at her boyfriend. "Naruto why didn't you tell me about the Spring Maiden before?"

Sighing to himself Naruto grabbed his scroll and started to type. "Because I know how my mother works, if I ask her for help and she'll want something in return. Plus I really don't want you anywhere near the Spring Maiden. However, we are running out of time and you need all the help with your Maiden powers you can get."

Ozpin stood to his feet and walked over to Naruto and Nora. "Naruto I don't agree with you keeping such big secrets, but the fact still stands. You and Nora our are best weapons against Salem, so we need you both ready for whatever may come. That being said go have the Spring Maiden help Nora, I will count this as your field mission that all first year students undertake."

Naruto folded his arms. "And our teammates?"

"Accommodations will be made for them." Ozpin quickly explained. "Besides maybe some time with your mother will help you regain your family abilities."

"I understand Oz." Naruto replied, while a dark red portal opened by his side. Then almost instantly one smug Raven Branwen entered the room.

"So brat." Raven began as she ignored everyone in the room. "You've decided to leave Beacon and come back where you belong."

Scoffing to himself Naruto shook his head. "No I just said that so you would come. You're gonna take me and Nora back to the tribe and have Spring train Nora to be a better Maiden."

Raven folded her arms and glared at her son. "Did you-..."

"No I didn't tell them who Spring is." Naruto cut in sharply. "You find it I still have some loyalty to you. You're bitch, but you're my mother and you did raise me. That does count for something."

Raven nodded and motioned for Naruto and Nora to follow her. "Come along then, I don't have all day."

Taiyang stepped forward. "You're just gonna leave like that?" The male asked, his voice slightly hurt.

"I'm just here for my son." Raven replied while entering her portal.

Naruto glanced to his father as he watched the man angrily hang his head. "Come on Nora." Naruto began as he grabbed the girl's hand and looked at Ozpin. "We will be back before the festival."

Ozpin nodded. "Be safe and stay in touch."

Entering the portal Naruto and Nora came out into a large encampment where Raven was waiting with her arms crossed. Nora being on edge looked around and saw dozens of bandits and tents all around them. She also noticed the looks some of the bandits were giving her and she slightly leaned into Naruto.

Rolling her eyes Raven motioned for the teens to follow her. "Come this way brats my tent is over there."

Following without question Nora looked up to Naruto. "Is this really where you grew up?"

"Different location, but everything else is the same." Naruto replied in a soft voice, while he watched his mother enter her tent. "Home shitty home."

Nora slightly giggled and hugged the boy as they walked into the tent together.

"So." Raven began in a low tone. "You want the Spring Maiden to help little Nora here."

Watching his mother take a seat Naruto nodded and walked further into the tent. "Yeah and since the Spring Maiden is a little more experienced than Nora I figured she might be of some help."

Raven pondered over his son's word and shook her head around. "Perhaps, but what is in it for me?"

"Besides helping your son and his girlfriend not much." Naruto replied bluntly.

Raven laughed. "Oh so you're a couple now? How cute, but I'm still not convinced to help you."

Nora bowed to the woman and tried a more respectable approach. "Please help me, I've been a burden my whole life to everyone. I just want someone to help me learn to control this power I have. I don't wanna be a burden I want to protect those I love." Nora then locked eyes with Raven and gave the woman a confidant gaze. "Please just let me meet the Spring Maiden and talk with her."

Naruto scoffed. "You're already speaking to the Spring Maiden."

Nora's eyes grew wide and Raven glared at her son.

"Brat!" Raven began in a cold voice.

"Don't start with me." Naruto replied in a cold voice. "Besides Nora is trustworthy, she won't tell anyone of the little illusion that you have going on."

"You're the Spring Maiden?" Nora asked in a stunned voice. "But how?"

"I killed the previous Spring Maiden and took her powers. The girl was a mess and couldn't handle the burden. So I mercy killed her and took the powers for myself." Raven declared in a blunt tone. "I tried my best to help her, but in the end she didn't have what it took."

Nora took a hard swallow and stood her ground. "Well will you train me to fully use my powers?"

Raven rubbed her chin and smiled. "There is something about you I do like." The bandit leader declared in an amused tone. "So I'll help you, but my aid is not easy nor is it free."

Naruto growled and stepped in front of Nora. "What do you want?"

Raven smiled and fiddled with a small necklace around her neck. "I will help you train and defend Beacon, but after Beacon is safe you will return here and live among the tribe. You will serve me and follow my orders above all else. That is my offer."

Naruto balled his fists, but what came next surprised him.

"I accept." Nora declared as she moved herself back in front of Naruto. "But know this deal is just between you and me. Naruto is not getting dragged back into his past."

Raven smiled. "Oh I know, but it does not matter. I know my son far better than you sweetie, he will follow you to hell and back. So in a way the offer does include you both."

"This was a mistake." Naruto began as he grabbed onto Nora's arm. "We're leaving."

"No." Nora declared firmly as she broke the boy's hold. "I'm staying here, I need your mother's help."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "We will find another way. We don't need her!"

Nora shook her head. "There isn't time for that and you know that. So let's do this Raven, show me how to be a proper Maiden."

Raven folded her hands and grinned ear to ear. "Welcome to the tribe Nora, you'll fit right in around here. And Naruto welcome back home."

Looking between his mother and the girl he loved with his whole heart Naruto cursed himself. At first he believed he was making a move to help Nora, but in reality he has landed himself back into the tribe he had left behind. Though worst of all was that he dragged Nora back with him.

Chapter end!

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Well here is the next update and I think I should say a few things cause I don't remember if I've said them before.

This story won't follow RWBY all that closely and will do a few things MY way. Like Raven's Semblance being different, the relics maidens etc.

I was reading my notes I have for future updates. And noticed something volume 3 is around the corner and it will be bloody. So if you're not on board with character deaths, well you've been warned. Cause a lot of big characters are gonna die so prepare yourself.

Anyways thanks for reading and as always tell me what you thought of the chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14. All in Your Head

Arms folded across her chest, Raven Branwen was standing behind her private tent. Standing by her side was Nora, who was looking at the woman for instructions or at least a verbal response. Considering the two had been standing still and silent for almost ten minutes. Off to the side Naruto was tweaking a few components into his new weapon, while his eyes remained locked onto his girlfriend and mother. He didn't like the idea of his mother anywhere near Nora for an extended amount of time, let alone the deal that they had struck.

"Tell me girl, what does being a Maiden mean to you?" Raven asked, as she finally broke the silence.

Glancing up to the bandit leader Nora tilted her head, it was an odd question that she didn't see coming. "I'm not sure." The orange haired girl admitted. "When I was younger I never understood what I was until Ozpin found me. Then for some time I believed my status was a curse, but being around Naruto changed that perspective."

Hearing this Naruto perked his ears up slightly in response, Raven on the other hand merely scoffed.

"And what did my foolish son do?" The blunt mother of two asked.

Looking down Nora twirled her fingers together. "Well because of what I am everyone who I ever loved or was close with was taken from me. So because of that I blamed myself for what happened to them. Though Naruto made me realize what happened in the past was out of my control. And from our encounter with Salem I realized if I wasn't a Maiden I wouldn't have had the power to save Naruto. So I guess I believe being a Maiden is something I should take pride in."

Raven pondered over the words for a moment before placing a hand to her chin. "Hmmmm I see."

Looking up to the older Maiden Nora tilted her head. "What does being a Maiden mean to you?"

Huffing to herself Raven smirked. "Being a Maiden means to be in control of yourself. Or to be more exact to be in control of your emotions." The women declared in a matter of fact tone. "You see emotions are incredibly important to a Maiden. To much negative emotions and the creatures of Grimm come swarming, but it goes even deeper than that."

"What do you mean by that?" Nora asked in a confused voice.

Raven held her hand out and small water particles began to form in her palm. "For example emotions like fear, depression and jealousy can cause you to doubt yourself. Because of that your powers can be affected and weakened from their true potential." The water then began to grow and swirl in an unpredictable twister. "Then emotions like anger, sorrow and love can trigger unpredictable responses that can fuel your powers to new heights, but make them much harder to control and dangerous to yourself and everyone around you."

Nora furrowed her brow as she watched the water disappear. "So to become a better Maiden I have to control my emotions."

"That's the first step." Raven admitted. "But there is much more to controlling your abilities. Though for now I have a way to start helping you."

"I'm ready for whatever you've got!" Nora quickly replied much to Raven's annoyance.

"Well follow me and let's get started." Raven ordered as she walked off.

Turning to her boyfriend, Nora sent Naruto a confidant gaze before following after Raven. Though as Naruto watched his mother and Nora walk off her could only sigh to himself.

"What's the matter Naruto?" Ren began within his host's mind. "Did you forget something when your mother sent you back to Beacon to gather your things?"

"No that's not it." Naruto mumbled as he tightened a bolt onto his weapon.

"Then what's troubling you?" Ren asked.

"It's Nora." Naruto explained in a vague tone. "I'm uneased how trusting she is around my mother. Especially with how she absorbs everything my mother says without question."

"Well she is an experienced Maiden, so it's wise for Nora to listen to what she says. Besides I feel like Nora is also trying to earn your mother's favor." Ren pointed out.

"Oh, you think so?" Naruto mumbled in response.

"Yes I do, Nora loves you Naruto. So I suspect she wants your mother to approve of her." Ren explained.

Naruto rolled her eyes. "Like that matters, I could care less if any of my family approved of Nora. I love her and that's all that matters."

Ren chuckled. "Well Nora is a little different than you, but maybe that's for the best. She may help fix some of your unbecoming traits."

Naruto scoffed. "Or I could turn her even more like me. After all we've already-. . ."

"I'm ending this conversation." Ren replied in a quick and annoyed voice. This of course caused Naruto to toss his head back and laugh.

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(At Beacon with Team RWBY)

Looking around the open auditorium Ruby watched the gathered teams pick their missions. Though the chaos of the selection process did give the small team leader a small amount of anxiety. However, all that was placed away once she felt her sister pat her backside.

"So what's the plan Ruby?" Yang asked in a cheery voice.

Turning to her sister Ruby found the older sibling standing by Weiss and Blake. Both of whom were waiting for Ruby to give her instruction.

"Well." Ruby began in a nervous voice while rubbing the back of her head. "I think we should look for a mission located in the south east."

Blake nodded her head. "I can agree to that plan."

Yang grinned. "Yeah we can follow our huntsman around by day and at night give them the slip."

"Well let's check search and destroy." Weiss purposed, causing the four girls to nod in agreement and walk over to a mission board.

"Guys look quadrant five needs Grimm cleared out!" Ruby pointed out in an upbeat tone.

"Well it's in the south east." Blake began before folding her arms.

"And that's perfect for us!" Yang added in as she tossed her arms high in the air from excitement.

Ruby nodded and selected the mission, but was quickly disappointed when an error appeared on screen. Displaying that the mission was locked off from first year students.

"Well that's a bummer." Yang declared while deflating downaward

"Got any other ideas?" Blake asked the group.

"We can mail ourselves there." Ruby replied quickly without even thinking.

Small chuckling coming from behind, the four girls were surprised to find Ozpin approaching them. "Well that's one option, but unfortunately we found the concentration of Grimm in that location to be too extreme for first year students. . . It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact I suspect the four of you will find yourselves there no matter what mission you pick."

Ruby released an awkward laugh and rubbed her head as her team sent a collective glare her way.

"I don't know what you mean by that?" Ruby replied, while trying to be as innocent as possible.

Ozpin merely smirked. "I'm curious as to how you found yourselves at the docks last semester. I'm interested to learn why you're so keen on heading to the south east and I want to know why whiteness claim to have seen robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago."

"Uhhh well err." Ruby began in a nervous voice.

"I doubt I'll ever find the answers I'm looking for." Ozpin began before tapping on a small tablet in his hand. "So how about this, instead of waiting for you to break the rules. Why don't we just bend them a little bit?"

Team RWBY watched as the mission board changed and gave their team clearance for the mission. Seeing this the four girls exchanged surprised and excited looks before turning back to their headmaster.

"We won't let you down!" Ruby declared in a confident tone.

Ozpin nodded in response. "I know, just don't get in over your head. And also make sure to follow your accompanying huntsmen very closely and obey his every word. Failure in doing so will result in you being sent back to Beacon."

The four girls remained silent and gave simple nods, conveying that they understood their instructions. This of course cause Ozpin to smirk and turn away.

"Good luck girls." The man finished before walking away.

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(With Jaune and Pyrrha)

Walking side by side, Jaune and Pyrrha were headed in the direction of a small airpad. As the young duo was currently headed to their appointed mission. Both partners were confused about their mission, as Ozpin had hand picked their mission for them. He also informed the pair that Naruto and Nora would not be with them, but he didn't elaborate as to why that was.

"Hey Pyrrha." Jaune began, breaking the small silence between the two.

"Yes Jaune?" The redhead replied, as she glanced over to the boy.

"Do you ever wonder why our team is different than others?" The leader asked, his voice sounding slightly troubled.

Pyrrha raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Jaune shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Well it's just Naruto and Nora meet with Ozpin a lot and have done mission for him before. Missions that neither of them tell us about. Then when every team from the four kingdoms goes and picks missions half our team vanishes and we get a handpicked mission from our headmaster."

"I guess that is very strange." Pyrrha admitted before grabbing her scroll. "Maybe we should call Nora or Naruto. Perhaps communicating with our team would answer your questions?"

"Or just leave us with more questions." Jaune mumbled in a low voice. "I say for now it's best that we focus on what's ahead."

Pyrrha nodded her head and tucked away her scroll. "You're right Jaune, we don't want any more unnecessary distractions while we are in the field. Though part of me does wish Nora and Naruto were with us."

Jaune smiled at his partner and softly patted her shoulder. "Hey it's just more time for us to bond!"

Blushing a deep shade of scarlet Pyrrha turned her head away from Jaune. "I would like that."

Oblivious to the girl's reaction Jaune kept his grin going. Though he suddenly stumbled forward along with Pyrrha, as two strong hands patted the two and sent them forward.

"Are you two love birds ready for our mission?" A strong and upbeat voice asked.

Turning around both students were surprised to see Naruto and Yang's father standing proudly. Taiyang was grinning ear to ear, while a large axe was strapped onto his backside and Zwei was busy running circles around his feet.

"Our mission?" Jaune asked in confusion.

"Are you our accompanying huntsman?" Pyrrha added in.

Taiyang nodded and flexed his right arm. "That's right, you two get the great Taiyang Xiao Long for this mission!"

Jaune looked up to the man with a questioning gaze. "What exactly is our mission?"

Taiyang waved the teenager off casually. "Grimm removal, nothing serious."

Jaune nodded. "Well why did Ozpin assign us this mission if it isn't serious?"

Taiyang folded his arms. "Because you're down two teammates."

"And where are Nora and Naruto?" Pyrrha asked.

Taiyang looked at the two young teenagers with a sigh, luckily he and Ozpin had prepared a few excuses just for this scenario.

"A bandit tribe has been causing issues for a local village." Taiyang began in a low voice, as he began his lie. "This tribe just so happens to be the Branwen tribe, the same tribe ran by Naruto's mother. To avoid bloodshed and help the village Naruto and Nora were sent to make negotiations."

Pyrrha nodded at the excuse. "Makes sense. Naruto and Nora could enter the tribe without any difficulties."

"Exactly." Taiyang replied. "Raven is a lot of things, most of which are bad. However, she would never harm Naruto, she really does love him."

Jaune noticed Taiyang slightly hang his head when he mentioned the word love. Obviously there was a lot of hurt and complications involving the parents of Naruto and Yang.

"Well anyways forget those two, they have their mission and we have ours!" Taiyang declared loudly, as he shifted into a more upbeat and bright mood. "So let's head out!"

Sharing glances with one another, Jaune and Pyrrha both nodded before following after the man.

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(Raven's tent)

Sitting cross legged and only a few feet away from each other, Nora and Raven were both waiting in silence. According to the bandit leader they were waiting for someone to come help with the training process, but that was twenty minutes ago. So currently both women were silent and Nora was busy observing what was the equivalent of Naruto's childhood home.

The young huntress managed to see some pictures of a younger Naruto, along with a few things that looked like they could belong to a young boy. These were obviously keepsakes Raven has kept from Naruto's childhood, leading the Winter Maiden to assume Raven was at least sentimental when it came to her son. Even though she would have you believe otherwise.

However, Nora's eyes eventually stopped on a pair of masks. They resembled the faces of Grimm, but the one that caught her attention the most was the one that resembled a fox. She didn't need Raven to tell her, as she already could tell that the mask belonged to Naruto.

Raven catching a slight unease in Nora's facial features followed the girl's gaze, her face sporting a grin as she noticed what had got the girl's attention.

"Like the mask?" Raven asked in a humored tone. "I take it Naruto's told you about his past, along with the mask he use to wear."

Nora nodded. "Yes he told me everything."

Raven huffed. "That brat must really like and trust you then. Though I'm surprised, most people would condemn my child for the sins he committed under my name."

"Well I love him." Nora declared almost instantly, while a fire burned in her eyes.

Raven grinned at the girl's response. She would never admit it, but Nora was the girl she always envisioned for her son. Loyal, strong and devoted all of which were perfect traits in Raven's eyes.

"So it would seem." Raven chuckled in response, while she noticed the flap to her tent open. "But looks like it's time for us to start."

Looking in the same direction as Raven, Nora noticed a young girl around her own age walk towards her direction. The girl was young slender and blonde, honesty the boy's back at Beacon would go crazy over such a beautiful girl.

"Nora meet one of my young followers Ino, Ino this is Naruto's girlfriend Nora." Raven explained in a matter of fact tone. "You're going to use your Semblance to help young Nora get better control over her emotions."

Ino bowed in response and approached the two. "Of course Chief, Vernal gave me the bulk of your instructions when she fetched me."

Raven smiled. "Excellent than let's get started."

Nora watched as Ino held two fingers out in each hand, both of which started to glow purple. "Um what is she going to do exactly?"

Ino touched her fingers to Nora and Raven's temples. "My Semblance allows me to enter the minds of other people. So I'm taking the Chief into your mind to search your memories and thoughts. She thinks this is the first step to helping with controlling your emotions."

Hearing this Nora didn't even have time to respond as her eyes rolled back shut. Though a moment later Nora opened her eyes and quickly realized she was no longer inside Raven's tent. The young girl found herself standing on a platform with multiple paths that went into different directions. Some lead to stairs while others went on for what seemed like eternity, but no matter what always ended at some kind of door.

"Welcome to your mind." The voice of Raven called out from behind.

Turning on her feet Nora was surprised to find Raven standing behind her. "So this is my mind?" The girl asked, which earned a nod from Raven. "Okay but where is that Ino girl?"

Raven looked around their surroundings. "Ino was just the bridge to get us here. She will not be joining us, but we should get moving."

Nora tilted her head. "Where exactly are we going?"

Pointing forward to a door Raven started to walk. "Each door leads to a part of your mind. Some doors lead to memories some lead to dreams and others lead to anything else that may dwell within your mind."

Nora followed after Raven. "Okay so which door do we take then?"

Raven smirked and looked back at Nora. "It's your mind you tell me, which of these doors do you feel the need to avoid?"

Nora shuttered as she looked around and for some reason could feel different vibes and emotions coming from different doors. "Honestly a lot of them."

Raven frowned. "I feared that was the case." The bandit leader began with a sigh. "Well in that case pick a door and let's go."

Nodding her head, Nora slowly stalked over to a simple black door. She then stopped and froze in place, much to the annoyance of Raven.

"Just open it already!" Raven ordered in a firm tone, one that caused Nora to shutter and quickly grasp down on the door's handle.

However, Nora once again froze and didn't move. Though taking a deep breath to steady herself Nora slowly opened the door and took her first steps inside with Raven following close behind. Coming out on the other side, Nora was pleasantly surprised to find herself in Beacon's cafeteria. Raven on the other hand scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I could have happily lived a lifetime without seeing this shithole again." The blunt mother of two declared with annoyance behind her voice. "So tell me why in the hell we are here?"

Nora looked at the woman and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." The girl declared in a honest tone. "I really don't have many bad memories here. This is normally somewhere me and my team get to bond and spend time together."

Raven rubbed her chin and nodded. "Then this probably isn't a memory. Instead we may have entered a doorway that leads to your nightmares and fears you have locked away in your mind." The older Maiden explained as she tapped her head.

Nora seemed to understand what Raven was saying. So opening her mouth to reply, Nora was quickly cut off by a very familiar voice.

"What a fucking loser!" A crude female voice insulted from behind.

Hearing the voice of her best friend Nora perked up and turned in the direction of one Pyrrha Nikos. Though this Pyrrha wasn't like the one Nora knew. Instead of a kind and gentle soul with a reserved personality, this Pyrrha was condescending and radiating anger. Though the most surprising thing was the company Pyrrha had beside her.

"You got that right Pyrrha! She's such a fat pig!" The individual by Pyrrha declared, while slapping the girl's shoulder.

"Emerald." Nora mumbled in a soft voice, while she looked at the girl and balled her fists.

"Now girls." A third voice spoke up, as Cinder Fall appeared at the end of the girl's table. "What have I told you about piggies? They are cute, Nora is nothing besides an ugly boar."

Raven being silent throughout this entire short exchange noticed Nora hang her head. Then the young orange haired girl's body started to change and twist, hiding her natural curves and beauty. Replacing them with imperfections and a look that hardly resembled Nora. Then as Nora started to sniffle Raven narrowed her eyes.

'She's a beautiful girl with endless potential, but appears she has some bullies.' Raven thought to herself, as she noticed Nora's physical appearance change more and more. 'And is this really how she perceives herself?'

"What's her problem?" Another familiar voice asked, though this one was male.

Watching with a saddened expression Nora looked up to see Naruto, the boy she loved walk over to Cinder and sit beside the girl. Then as the two exchanged a quick kiss, Cinder wrapped herself around the blond.

"Tch, they probably ran out of food to serve her." Cinder replied with a cold and harsh laugh. One that Naruto, Pyrrha and Emerald joined in on.

Tears falling down her face, Nora couldn't look forward and watch as her best friend and boyfriend tormented her along with Cinder. Though surprisingly Nora was suddenly jerked by Raven and turned around.

"Get ahold of yourself." Raven ordered sternly.

"I'm sorry." Nora replied in a broken voice.

Biting her lip Raven thought over her next words, she wasn't compassionate by any means and she knew that. Though she never had to be when raising a boy like Naruto, but a girl like Nora was a different case. One she clearly wasn't ready for.

"Explain what all this is."

Nora sighed and twirled her fingers around. "I guess you could say Cinder and Emerald are two girls that sorta pick on me from time to time. I have a lot of bad thoughts and dreams that deal with them also."

As Nora began her explanation the room began to fill with more and more Cinder's. All of which were tormenting some version of Nora.

"Sometimes i dream I'm Cinder's punching bag, other times I'm her personal lap dog. Then sometimes she steals my friends like Pyrrha and uses them against me. However, the worst is when she steals my most important person away from me." Nora explained, while she tightened her hands in frustration.

"I see." Raven mumbled, while she glanced over to Cinder cuddling up to her son. "And this Cinder girl actually insults you in real life. Not just in your dreams?"

Nora nodded. "Her favorite thing is to call me a boar."

Raven scoffed. "That's stupid." The woman declared bluntly. "You're the farthest thing from being a boar. You have curves any girl would kill for and a face with a personality that seems to have won my son's love. This self doubt thing you have going on along with the fear of this Cinder girl is bullshit."

Nora looked down in shame, as she couldn't look up to the proud and powerful woman. As Nora truly felt inferior to most of the girls she knew, especially Cinder and she knew that disappointed Raven.

"What should I do then?" Nora asked, while looking up to the woman for guidance.

Raven closed her eyes and sighed. "I always told Naruto to embrace any negativity thrown your way. That Cinder girl calls you a boar? Well embrace the name and make it your own, but your boar will mean something new. Make the name that she uses to drag you down mean something to build you up!"

Being taken back by Raven's bold advice, the cafeteria was quickly emptied leaving the two Maidens alone.

"Make it my own?" Nora mumbled with a soft smile, while she felt a tingling on her neck. Causing the girl to place her hand over the spot that gave her slight chills. "Hmm I like that!"

Raven nodded and turned her back to the girl. "Well if that's all, let's keep going Nora. We have more of your mind to explore after all."

Grinning wide Nora stood beside the woman and started to walk. While at the same a small red flicker appeared on Nora's neck, but vanished before either Maiden could take notice of it.

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(With Naruto)

Walking into his mother's tent, Naruto quickly found Nora and Raven sitting with Ino in between them. A sight that instantly made Naruto come to a small conclusion as to what was going on.

"So they are going through Nora's mind." Naruto mumbled to himself, while he walked over to a chair and took a seat. "I guess mom wants to learn more about Nora's past to better help her control her emotions."

"Hmmm." Ren began in a soft tone. "Nora does have a lot of baggage. I mean there is the death of her parents, my death, her fear of Salem and honestly who knows what else?"

Naruto tightened his fists, as he knew what Ren was saying was right. "I should be in there with her."

"Maybe not." Ren replied quickly. "You can be a krutch at times for Nora. Doing this without you may help her grow."

"Advice of a dead man doesn't go very far." Naruto replied stubbornly.

"Oh fuck you Naruto, you know I'm right."

Laughing out loudly Naruto placed a hand to his eyes and tipped his head back. "Looks like I'm finally wearing down someone's nerves!"

"You make me wish I could die a second time." Ren declared in a monotone voice.

Naruto continued to laugh, but eventually his laughter died down and he noticed Ren was blocking their communication link. So sighing to himself, as he was pretty much alone Naruto allowed his mind to wonder. Though his eyes quickly glanced to his mother's private bookshelf. A collection that Naruto was forbidden from touching as a child.

However, now Naruto was old enough and strong enough to deal with his mother and do whatever he pleased. So standing to his feet, Naruto stalked over to the bookcase and leaned over to inspect what his mother had.

"Hmmm let's see what we have here." Naruto mumbled, while he grabbed an old tattered journal and opened the pages. "Today I met the coolest person ever! She's kinda mean, but she beat up a whole pack of Beowolves like they were nothing. She was all like bang boom slash and "why are you just standing around doing nothing stupid?" Her name his Raven Branwen and I can tell we are going to be best friends!"

As he finished reading out of the journal Naruto flipped through a few more pages and came with a realization. "This was Ruby's mom's journal." Naruto mumbled softly, while he had half a mind to steal this book and take it to Ruby. However, it may not be the best idea. As this journal had some information that has to be kept a secret from Ruby.

So snatching up the journal, Naruto decided he might as well catch up on some reading while he did nothing. "Let's see what Summer wrote about." Naruto mumbled as he opened another random page.

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(With Nora)

Walking aimlessly around her mind, Nora felt around trying to sense where she should go next. Since their encounter with the fake Cinder in the cafeteria, Nora has taken Raven to her childhood home and to the area where Ren was killed. Allowing the older Maiden to see the memories that haunted the girl's past. Though thanks to Naruto and her friends, Nora had found a healthy way to somewhat cope with those losses. So it mainly just gave Raven some extra background knowledge on Nora herself.

"Girl." Raven spoke out in a monotone voice, while she followed Nora. "Are we almost done here?"

Nora momentarily stopped and shuddered, while at the same time moving her vision to a random door. Raven noticing this reaction almost instantly scoffed and walked to the door.

"Well looks like we have another door." Raven mumbled, while she entered without even taking a moment to hesitate.

Watching the older Maiden enter the doorway, Nora remained still for a moment. Something felt off, as this door felt different than the others which she had gone into so far. Then there was also the added fact that Nora really didn't know what else was within her mind that haunted her. So as she followed after Raven, Nora prepared herself for absolutely anything.

However, nothing could prepare Nora for the sight that awaited her within the door. As she instantly fell to her knees and her entire body started to tremble. Then as her eyes stared off in disbelief she slowly placed a hand to her mouth, as she felt like she was choking.

Raven catching this reaction turned to the girl with a hardened gaze. "Recompose yourself girl and remember none of this is real."

Her harsh tone and true words did very little to reach Nora. As all the girl could do was look on in horror at her greatest fear, which was her friends and loved ones being brutally slain by Salem. Everyone from Team RWBY to her teachers were all present and spread across a large battlefield while lying dead in pools of their own blood. Though by far the most traumatizing sight was her team each brutally impaled on spikes. All the while Salem stood smug and victorious over all the dead huntsmen and huntresses.

"This isn't real. It isn't real." Nora recited over and over, while the Winter Maiden closed her eyes and clutches her head.

Sighing to herself Raven bent down and grabbed Nora's hand. Then with a small amount of force she jerked the girl forward and forced her to look once more.

"You're afraid of Salem killing more people you love." Raven began, her voice low and on edge. "However, you can not let that fear consume you. If you do this will be the outcome that happens to everyone you love. I should know, I watched that bitch kill my best friend."

Nora gritted her teeth and looked down. "I know that, but I've lost so much already. I don't want to lose anyone else."

Raven huffed. "Loss is apart of life and you can cry your life away. Or you could get up get ahold of yourself, control this power of yours and when Salem comes for you. Take your power and kill that stupid bitch once and for all."

Nora listened to Raven's advice and thought over her words. "You make it sound so easy."

Raven turned Nora around and forced the girl to make eye contact with her. "You're a self conscious girl who is terrified of losing people like how you lost your parents and friend. That is what I've learned about you today Nora. And now I'm going to fix that problem and turn you into a better version of yourself. I'll make you realize you're beautiful. I'll teach you how to deal with your little bullies. And I'll make sure you know how to properly use your Maiden powers."

Tears trailing down her eyes Nora looked up to the woman with a grateful expression. "Thank you." The girl slowly sobbed out before reaching out to the woman.

Raven's eyebrow twitched and she shoved Nora away. "If you try to hug me I'll kill you."

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(With Naruto)

Leaned against a tree behind his mother's tent, Naruto had his new weapon in one hand and Summer's journal in the other. He was mindless waving his weapon around, while his mind was digesting everything Summer had written about. Everything he could ever want to know about Summer was in here. As the journal documented everything from her arrival to Beacon, her team forming and even when she started to work for Ozpin.

However, the current page Naruto was on was by far the most interesting.

"I asked Qrow today about that teleporting thing he and Raven do. Apparently it's something only a Branwen can do LAME! But he said it's something that requires a small amount of dust and knowledge of where he wants to teleport. Hehe Raven heard us talking and bragged how she was much better than Qrow at teleporting. I can tell he got a little angry with his sister like always. Apparently Raven can teleport almost anywhere she wants, while Qrow struggles a little bit. He did mention it helps him to have a certain connection with a person or place when teleporting. He then said that's why it's so easy to teleport to me. . . He's such an idiot!"

Reading this out loud Naruto raised his eyebrow in interest. Summer managed to give Naruto more advice on his family techniques from the grave than his mother ever did throughout the years.

"Focus on something I have a connection with huh?" Naruto mumbled, while he closed the journal and placed it onto the ground. Then by shutting his eyes he tried to reach out and feel for familiar people and places.

Quickly he felt two strong sensations very close to him. However, Naruto concluded this to Nora and Raven being in the tent only a few feet away from his location. Since both women were so important to him it made since why he could feel a pull to them.

"Let's see if I can get anything a little farther away." Naruto mumbled, while he furrowed his brow and extended his search for another familiar connection.

Sweat slowly pouring down his forehead, Naruto stood still for a few seconds without feeling anything. Though right when he felt like giving up a strong burning sensation was felt off in the distance. So reaching out to the source Naruto instantly vanished in a flicker of red light.

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(With Yang)

Everything had happened so fast, one second Yang was on a mission in the Southeast with her team. Then the next thing she knew Yang was inside a train car and fighting a girl using an umbrella for a weapon. However, fighting was a strong word to use, as Yang was getting her ass handed to her. In fact currently the beautiful blond was lying unconscious in the middle of a cargo train car.

The girl who had defeated Yang bore a twisted grin on her lips, while she stalked towards Yang. Then slowly she pulled a long slim blade from out of her umbrella. Then with a hint of dark pleasure and intent she hovered the blade above Yang's torso. Readying herself to strike and kill the unconscious girl.

Though in a sudden turn of events a red flash flickered by Yang's side. Revealing a confused Naruto Branwen, the latter of whom used his quick reaction time to gauge the situation. Then displaying inhuman speed, Naruto used his new weapon to bash Yang's attacker into a metal door. Effectively saving his twin sister's life and giving him space to actually think over what was happening

"What in the fuck is going on." Naruto growled in anger, before his mind clicked. "Wait you're that half and half bitch that stopped me from killing Adam!"

The girl remaining silent looked actually afraid to be standing before the blond. The latter of whom pointed a large green and black magnum at her before pressing a button. Then small gears turning and shifting, the gun's barrel became the guard to a katana and a large blade extended out from underneath the barrel.

"You're not getting away this time!" Naruto yelled as he dashed forward.

Her eyes snapping forward the girl bent over and Naruto stabbed right through her. Causing the girl to shatter and Naruto to stab the metal door.

"Damnit!" Naruto screamed in frustration.

"Well she got away. . . Again." Ren declared in a dry voice.

"You're literally the most annoying dead person I fucking know." Naruto complained in anger before glancing back over to Yang.

"You make it sound like you know and talk to more dead people." Ren fired back, while Naruto bent down to check his sister's vitals. Completely ignoring Ren in the process.

"She's okay." Naruto sighed out in relief, while standing to his feet. "But looks like I finally managed a teleport. Though it felt odd and different than my old teleports."

"Well Yang is lucky you figured it out. Or she might have died just now." Ren pointed out.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah you're right, but now this begs the question." The blond began before scanning his surroundings. "Just what in the hell have my idiot sister's gotten into this time!"

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(Chapter end)

I hope y'all liked this chapter and everything i did in it, as I slowly placed a few things in motion. Though we are slowly nearing the end of Vol 2 and I can't wait for vol 3. As my version will be much, much, much more heavy (many character deaths inbound)

Anyways on that somber warning a shameless plug for a new story I started. You like Naruto? You like BHA? Do you like reading my awful stories? If the answer is yes then boy do I have a treat for you!

Like always thanks for reading and take care!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15. The Divide

Bending down over the unconscious form of his sister, Naruto titled his head and furrowed his brow. Currently thinking to himself as to where he was and what trouble Yang and Team RWBY were in.

"This is obviously a train car and I can feel it moving." Naruto mumbled out, while he observed everything around him. Sighing to himself, Naruto knew the best course of action was to wake Yang and get the answers from her himself. "Hey wake up idiot." Naruto ordered unsympathetically, while the blond started to slap his sister's face.

Being roughly handled by her brother, Yang started to stir awake. Though once Yang's eyes began to open, the huntress acted on instinct and sent a fast punch at Naruto's head. This of course caused Naruto to lazily move his head to the side. Resulting in Yang's punch flying by Naruto's head and a projectile from her gauntlet shooting into the roof above them.

"Well that wasn't nice." Naruto grumbled in a bored tone, while the blond placed a finger to his ear and started dig inside. "This is how people get tinnitus you know."

Finally noticing her twin was standing over her, Yang's eyes grew wide in surprise. "N-Naruto! What are you doing here?"

Huffing to himself Naruto rolled his eyes, while at the same time holding a hand out to Yang. "Saving your dumbass it would seem. Since that little half and half bitch was about to gut you."

Accepting her brother's hand, Yang was hoisted up. She didn't like the vague answer her brother gave her, as it still didn't explain much. "That's not what I meant! You shouldn't even be here this is the mission me and my team were on. How did you get here?"

"That's not important." Naruto replied stubbornly, showing he wasn't going to give Yang any answers. "Focus on the situation at hand and tell me what is going on. And don't leave out a single detail."

Gritting her teeth Yang glared at her brother, she didn't like how secretive he was being. Though he was right, they had bigger problems on their hand.

"Our team along with Dr. Oobleck was sent to the Southeast to deal with Grimm. However, we found White Fang moving weapons, dust and military grade equipment on this train. We boarded the train to stop them. Though we quickly realized their hidden agenda."

Naruto folded his arms and raised his eyebrow. "Which is?"

"They are setting off explosions inside this tunnel we are in. This is filling the tunnel with Grimm, which the White Fang is leading into the city under Beacon Academy." Yang explained with a sense of urgency in her voice. "Then there is also Roman Torchwick, who seems to be the leader of this operation."

Naruto tightened his fist in anger, but he had to think logically over this situation. "Where is your team?"

"Ruby and the Dr. are fighting White Fang above us. Then Blake and Weiss went ahead to stop the train." Yang explained, while she watched Naruto nod and twirl a weapon she had never seen before in his hand.

"I see, go join your team and stop this train." Naruto ordered, while at the same time heading to the back of the train.

"Why should I listen to you? And just where are you going!?" Yang replied back stubbornly.

Naruto shook his head and kicked open the back entrance of the train car. "I'm older, smarter and more experienced than you for starters. Second I'm placing some faith in your team to stop this train."

Yang narrowed her eyes. "And what are you going to do?"

Naruto looked back to his sister with a grin, his red eyes glowing bright red in excitement. "There is Grimm following the train correct? Well I'm going to go take care of them."

Yang's eyes snapped open in surprise. "Do you know how many Grimm are following us? That's suicide Naruto!"

Naruto scoffed. "Worry about stopping the train, I'll be fine." The older sibling replied, before leaping out of the train car and onto the top of the train. Then standing in a crouched position Naruto noticed Ruby and Dr. Oobleck fighting members of the White Fang.

Seeing the young huntress and teacher holding their own Naruto smiled and turned his attention to the back of the train. Quickly observing a majority of the train carts were missing and a horde of Grimm was in fact chasing the train.

"Oh there is a lot of them." Naruto chuckled in an excited tone, as his blood was pumping with anticipation.

"Think you can stop them?" Ren asked, earning a scoff from Naruto.

"Yeah I can, but I am curious. Is this apart of Salem's attack on Beacon? If so the attack came earlier than I expected." Naruto mumbled, while he started to leap over to the last remaining train cars.

"Hmmm, I doubt it." Ren replied, while Naruto stopped at the edge of the last train car. "The way Yang described everything it seems your sister's team forced them to move before preparations were finished. I suspect Salem's full attack is still a few weeks away to line up with the festival."

"That's a solid deduction." Naruto admitted, while the blond jumped off the train. Then as he glared down the stampeding wall of Grimm running in his direction Naruto smirked. "But we can talk later, I need to focus."

Ren chuckled in Naruto's head. "Just don't die and break your promise to Nora."

"I would never dream of it." Naruto declared before the young warrior took off at full speeds. Running straight into the mob of Grimm with his sword already coming down to strike. Then in a blink of an eye Naruto started to spin, twirl and hack his way into the Grimm.

On his first initial strike Naruto managed to cut through eight creatures of Grimm. However, this caused the massive mob to lose all interest of pursuing the train. Instead they all circled and closed in onto the blond. Giving Naruto no option to run and leaving him with nothing to do besides fight his way free. So standing in the center of the Grimm Naruto watched carefully, while each different species he could identify within the mob circled him. They all appeared to be waiting for the right time to strike the young huntsman, but at the same time Naruto was quickly formulating a plan to deal with each specific type of Grimm.

"Well you stupid fucking bastards, who is gonna die first?" Naruto asked, causing a group of Ursa and Boarbatusk to unleash loud battle cries and charge in.

Displaying his years of training and experience, Naruto quickly reacted and jumped over the first wave of Grimm. Then with precision and grace, Naruto sliced the Grimm into pieces. Causing the now dead creatures to begin to evaporate into black smoke, signaling the next group to lunge forward and attack.

Naruto who was just now landing on his feet caught a glimpse of a Beowulf pack that had a Death Stalker leading the charge coming his way. So shifting his katana into its magnum form, Naruto took a few quick shots and managed to kill a couple of Beowulf's with remarkable accuracy. Then by shifting his weapon back to his katana form, Naruto twisted his torso. Next Naruto pushed off with his feet and shot a bullet from the barrel of his weapon. However, since the barrel was currently located as the weapons hilt this tactic was used to propel Naruto at an improved speed at the ill prepared Grimm. The later of whom were slashed in half thanks to the added force of Naruto's weapon.

Though coming to a stop Naruto noticed for every Grimm he killed two more took its place, as the tunnel was completely overrun with the monsters. He also noticed that a few started to run past the crowd and head after the train, which was now a good distance away by now. However, Naruto wouldn't allow a single Grimm to make it past his location. So leaping up into the air, Naruto placed his feet onto the tunnel's ceiling. Then by pushing off and cracking the tunnel, Naruto landed in front of the escaping Grimm and started to hack and slash his way back into the mob once more. However, this time he used the gun portion of his weapon more often to increase his speed and striking power. While at the same time using the stray bullets to finish off a few lingering Grimm sneaking from behind.

Unfortunately, just as Naruto was starting to get a rhythm of well placed attacks stringed together one after another. A King Taijitu lashed out from the mob and spearheaded Naruto with an open mouth, the latter of whom reacted with enough time to block the creature's massive fangs with his weapon.

"Oh you seem angry, did I kill some of your friends?" Naruto asked in a mocking tone, while the King Taijitu released a loud roar. Causing Naruto's hair and clothes to flap wildly behind him.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto quickly jumped up and slashed upward onto the giant snake like Grimm. Slicing its head in two perfect halves before landing on the creature's body. Then by rubbing his ear the blond huntsman groaned.

"Between you and my dumbass sister I really am gonna get Tinnitus!" Naruto yelled in anger, while glaring at the clearly dead King Taijitu. Though he didn't have long to complain, as the near endless wave of Grimm continued to charge at him.

Sighing in annoyance, Naruto jumped off to the side of the tunnel and quickly landed onto the concrete wall. Then by kicking off with insane power, Naruto started to spin and slash through more and more Grimm. Only to land and kick himself off once more, using the tunnel as a way to move quickly and efficiently past all the Grimm surrounding him and attack simultaneously.

"Man this is too easy." Naruto laughed, while the blond landed onto the ground. Though the exact second his feet touched the ground an explosion sounded off. Followed by the entire tunnel shaking from the aftershock. This caused Naruto to look in the direction of where the train was, his heart slightly sinking as he could only come to one conclusion. "Did they fail?"

Naruto didn't have much time to think or even wonder if Team RWBY was okay. This was because even though he was momentarily stunned, the creatures of Grimm were a different story. As the Grimm could care less about the aftershock that rocked the tunnel. The only thing that the Grimm cared about was tearing into Naruto. So that's why as a Beowulf tackled into Naruto and sent the huntsman rolling forward. Naruto was forced to kick the beast off of him and send it flying into the ceiling. Then by quickly regaining himself, Naruto continued to fight off the Grimm horde within the tunnel.

"Don't lose focus Naruto!" Ren yelled inside of his host's mind.

Blowing out some air, Naruto pointed his blade at the remaining Grimm. "I told you to shut up and let me fight. I've got this!"

With that declaration made, Naruto unleashed a loud battle cry and charged once more into the horde of Grimm. Using every move and technique his mother had taught him to slaughter as many Grimm as possible. Regardless of their overwhelming numbers and the fact that he was starting to feel slightly fatigued.

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(With Team RWBY)

Sirens going off loudly, all four members of Team RWBY were huddled near each other and coughing out dust and dirt. All around them was discarded rubble, metal and weapons from where the train had collided with the sealed off portion of the tunnel. Luckily enough for the four young ladies, Weiss had managed to create an ice shield to protect them all from any major damage.

"Are you guys okay?" Ruby asked, while the youngest member of the team stood to her feet.

Dusting herself off, Weiss stood by her partner's side and nodded. "I'm fine."

"I'm not dead yet." Blake mumbled softly, while the girl staggered herself to a standing position.

Punching the ground Yang pushed herself up as well. "Well looks like the four of us made it out okay, but what about the professor?"

"That's Dr!" The chittery voice of Dr. Oobleck declared, while the huntsman made himself known to the group. "And I'll have you all know I've apprehended our culprit."

The four members of Team RWBY all looked towards Oobleck with wide eyes, as the rather odd huntsman had an unconscious Roman Torchwick at his side.

"Way to go Dr. Oobleck!" Ruby cheered happily.

The streets quickly clearing of civilians, Team RWBY and Dr. Oobleck started to gather together. However, they were not alone as more of their friends started to gather onto the scene. The first of which being both Neptune and Sun. Who were both working as junior detectives within the city. The four girls noticing their friends waved the boy's down to their location.

"Sun over here." Blake called out.

"Neptune!" Weiss added in cheerfully, as she was happy to see the blue haired boy.

Walking over to the girls Sun held his hands out. "What is going on here?" The monkey Faunus asked loudly. "We heard the sirens and saw smoke so we came running!"

"Long story short, the White Fang and Roman Torchwick are trying to lead Grimm into the city." Ruby explained quickly, while pointing to the large hole where the sealed tunnel used to be. "There should be a mob of Grimm coming out of there any second now."

"What are you serious!" Neptune yelled in surprise, while looking over to the currently empty tunnel.

Glancing down to the unconscious Roman, Sun's tail started to sway back and forth. "Well at least you caught Roman! That's a win so far, now we just gotta stop those Grimm."

Weiss nodded, but also titled her head in confusion. "You're right, but I don't get it. There was so many Grimm in that tunnel. The streets should be flooded by now."

"Maybe the explosions caused a portion of the tunnel to collapse and shut the Grimm off." Blake reasoned, but Yang quickly shook her head.

"Guys Naruto is in there." The blond haired twin declared, much to the shock of everyone present.

"Wait our big brother?" Ruby asked, as she did not notice the boy earlier.

Yang nodded. "Yeah."

"How was he even in the tunnel?" Blake asked quickly, as Naruto being on the train made no sense to anyone present.

Tightening her fists Yang looked down, while her eyes were starting to turn red. "I don't know, but I'm worried about him. He's strong, but he's only one person."

"We should group up and go in there." Sun quickly purposed, causing several nods of agreement.

However, before anyone present could make a move several airships started to land around the young hunters in training. Then as the ship's opened their doors hundreds of Atlas combat robots started to fill the area, placing the zone in a lock down procedure. Though the most surprising appearance was by General Ironwood himself.

"What is the situation!" One James Ironwood asked, while the hardened military man walked his way into the group. "Are we under attack?"

One of the girl's were about to step forward and answer the man, but another ship landing caught their attention. However, this ship contained the familiar faces of Taiyang, Jaune and Pyrrha all of whom looked ready for combat.

"Dad!" Yang and Ruby called out, while they watched the man run over.

"Hey girls." Taiyang greeted with a smile, happy to see they were both okay. Though his features turned serious as he looked at General Ironwood. "James what's going on here?"

Placing his hands behind his back, James looked down at Team RWBY with a serious gaze. "I was just wondering that myself. Care to explain?"

Ruby nodded and pointed down to Roman. "The White Fang and Roman Torchwick were filling that tunnel with Grimm and they were trying to set them loose in the city."

"But there is no Grimm anywhere!" Jaune pointed out. "Did you guys already take them out?"

Yang shook her head and looked down. "Naruto is in the tunnel fighting them by himself. We were about to go group up and help him."

Pyrrha seemed honestly shocked by Yang's words along with Jaune. "Wait is Nora with him?" The red head warrior asked quickly. "Are they already done with their mission involving your mother?"

This time it was Yang's turn to be absolutely shocked, as she had no knowledge of Naruto being in contact with their mother. Let along Nora being involved as well.

"What are you talking about?" Yang asked, as she placed the current situation behind them. "Were Naruto and Nora with my mom!"

Stepping into the conversation James held his hand out. "None of this is important. We need to focus and retrieve Naruto. Then reseal this tunnel before any Grimm do make it into the city!"

Everyone nodding their head in confirmation beside Yang started to gather up. Preparing themselves to enter the tunnel and help Naruto. However, they were not prepared for the slow shadow making its way into view within the tunnel.

"Uh, guys!" Jaune began, while he pointed at the tunnel. "Something is coming!"

Everyone placing their weapons at the ready looked on in anticipation. As they were all waiting to see just what would emerge from the tunnel. Though in the brief moment of waiting everyone was asking themselves, was Naruto okay? Did the Grimm get past the young warrior? Their questions was quickly answered however, as the red eyed Branwen walked out of the tunnel and stood on a pile of rubble. His entire upper torso of clothing was torn off and he was covered in sweat. Though besides his new weapon and red fox mark, Naruto appeared normal and healthy.

"What are you all standing around for?" Naruto laughed loudly, while the blond staggered his way down to the group. "Clean this shit up."

Rushing by his son's side, Taiyang started to frantically inspect Naruto's condition. Making sure his son wasn't hurt from his earlier battle.

"Naruto are you okay? Is anything broken or bleeding?" Taiyang asked, while he continued to look all over his son.

Sighing Naruto patted his father on the shoulder. "I'm fine Dad." The blond admitted with a smile, as he was happy to get this kind of parental affection for a change. "I'll probably just be a little sore in the morning."

Hearing his son, Taiyang released a loud laugh and slapped the boy's back. "Well I'm glad you're okay."

Smiling Naruto glanced away from his father, allowing the teen to see Roman. His blood boiling with excitement as he saw the unconscious criminal. Knowing that he finally had someone to squeeze answers out of regarding Salem's plans. However, before Naruto could move over to Roman, he had to deal with everyone else around them.

Jumping forward Ruby almost completely ignored her brother and kept her entire focus on the weapon Naruto was holding. In fact the young girl was drooling at the mouth and had stars in her eyes.

"Naruto where did you get that weapon!?" Ruby shouted out in a giddy voice.

Glancing down to the katana in his hand, Naruto quickly flipped the blade to be pointing at the ground, while the handle was sticking into the air. Then with little effort he tossed the weapon to Ruby, the latter of whom caught the weapon with both hands and almost fell over. As the young girl was not prepared for the weight of the weapon.

"It's my new weapon that I've been building." Naruto explained, as he watched his little sister look on in amazement at his craftsmanship. "It's a katana that can fold into a magnum. And after that little combat test I just gave it, I can now say Fox Flower is ready for the festival!"

Trying to lift the weapon up past her waist, Ruby was surprised to find out it was much heavier than Crescent Rose. "It's so heavy, how do you swing this thing around?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I've trained my body for years, so I don't even notice how heavy it is."

Ruby seemed to accept the answer and she handed the weapon back to her brother. Though as Naruto took his weapon back others started to voice themselves.

"So are you going to tell us why you were in the tunnel?" Weiss asked, while Blake also stepped forward.

"And how did you fight off so many Grimm. I saw how many there was chasing us. That was too many for a group of huntsmen, let alone one person!" Blake pointed out loudly.

Looking at the girl's, Naruto glanced over to Yang and noticed his sister appeared frustrated for some reason. Though he needed to come up with a quick excuse to explain himself. "Well to answer your first question I was training a Branwen family technique." Naruto explained, trying to think of a way to get himself out of this situation. "It's a teleportation technique and I ended up teleporting to Yang. As for the Grimm well I just simply killed them before they killed me."

"But there was hundreds of them!" Ruby pointed out fearfully, while glancing up to her brother.

Naruto laughed and ruffled the girl's hair. "Two hundred and forty five, but who's counting?"

Hearing this most people present were genuinely floored by Naruto's head count of Grimm. As such a large number for one person was unthinkable and it made many people reevaluate Naruto's strength. No longer did they see him as the strongest student, but now they were starting to think he might be one of the strongest individuals alive.

Though while everyone was busy thinking over Naruto's feat. Sun looked at Naruto's fox mark with a questioning gaze.

"Hey Naruto, how long have you had that fox tattoo?" The monkey Faunus asked.

Looking down to his mark, Naruto silently cursed himself. As he has never shown many people his mark and he didn't want to explain what it actually was. Considering he himself didn't understand what it fully was.

"Ah it's just an old tattoo I got a while back. It's nothing important." Naruto lied in a plain voice, earning a nod from Sun.

Stepping forward Jaune gave Naruto a friendly wave. "Hey Naruto where is Nora?" The team leader asked, while he looked around the area.

"She's still on our mission." Naruto replied, saying nothing more on the topic.

Pyrrha grinned wide and joined in on the conversation. "So is everything going well with your mother?"

Naruto gave Pyrrha a blank gaze, while simultaneously glancing to his father. Assuming that the man had gave some excuse for where he and Nora were.

"As fine as you would expect." Naruto explained.

Hearing this Yang walked up to her brother and grabbed Naruto by the shirt. This caused everyone to be surprised, as Yang was glaring her brother down with pure anger. The latter of whom looked directly back at his sister with a blank stare. Ruby seeing the tension build between her siblings brought a hand to her mouth and kept glancing between the two.

"Yang what's wrong?" Ruby asked in a soft voice, as she could tell something was really upsetting the girl.

Ignoring Ruby, Yang started to tighten her hold on Naruto. "You were with mom?" The twin asked, her voice filled with anger and confusion.

"Yeah I was." Naruto replied offhandedly, as he could tell Yang was upset.

"And Nora went with you?" Yang asked again causing Naruto to nod and Yang's arms to tremble. "So she's still with mom?"

"Where else would she be?" Naruto shot back in a blank voice.

Hearing enough, Yang removed a hand from Naruto before punching her sibling hard in the stomach. Causing Naruto to slightly bend and grit his teeth.

"You fucking piece of shit." Yang yelled in anger, while punching Naruto in the jaw. The result of the blow sending the blond onto the ground.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted in shock, while she grabbed onto the girl and held her back from continuing her assault. Though she struggled to hold the girl back, which caused Taiyang to step in.

"That's enough Yang." Taiyang ordered, while he gripped down on the arm of his oldest daughter.

"That's enough?" Yang questioned, while she jerked away from her father. "You've got to kidding me! I've never met mom once and he gets to not only be raised by her, but see her whenever he wants. And to add salt to the wound he brings his fucking girlfriend to meet my mom before I get too? No I've had enough. You said you don't know where mom is. Yet you and Nora had no trouble finding her. The two of you are always sneaking around and keeping secrets. And you both are so arrogant to think no one has noticed you!"

Looking up to his sister Naruto pushed himself to his feet, while at the same time ignoring Yang's outburst. This of course caused Yang to get even more angry at her brother, while at the same time earn more interests on the growing conflict. People like James and Taiyang who knew the whole situation were nervous, hoping no vital information would come out of Naruto's mouth. Though individuals like Weiss, Jaune and Blake were actually moving towards Yang's side against Naruto. Then people like Ruby, Pyrrha and everyone else present just wanted the tension to die down.

"Sneaking around. That's big talk coming from you and your team." Naruto mumbled in a low voice. "You think I haven't noticed all the shit you and your team have gotten yourselves in. I know all about your previous scuffles with Roman and the White Fang. Hell this mess right here is a prime example of what happens when children try to keep secrets and handle things way out of their league."

"We are trying to help!" Blake declared loudly, as she stood by Yang's side.

"Yeah and you're one to talk about children!" Weiss yelled, while she supported her team. "You're the same age as us!"

Naruto laughed and shook his head. "Help? You don't even know who you're fighting! Typical of Ozpin though. Keeps secrets and sends inexperienced students to their demise."

"Branwen! Not another word." General Ironwood yelled firmly, surprising everyone with the interaction between the two.

"No something needs to be said." Naruto replied back, while his eyes started to burn a bright red. "You four think you've uncovered some big conspiracy with the White Fang and criminal underground, but you're not even close. Me and Nora have fought the real fight and I know from experience all you're doing is blindly walking to your death."

Yang gritted her teeth and tried to lunge at her brother, but Taiyang quickly restrained the girl back. "And what makes you and Nora so special that you know what we don't!" The enraged twin asked.

"Yang I said stop." Taiyang grunted, as he tried to keep the girl from going berserk.

"Please Yang this is too much." Ruby cried out, as she didn't like this current situation between her two siblings.

Walking forward and getting into Yang's face, Naruto glared his sister down. "This has been both mine and Nora's fight our entire lives. We haven't lived in the same blissful safe world as most of you. We have been nothing besides warriors in a fight we didn't start. With an enemy as powerful as she his unknown."

"BRANWEN!" James yelled at a tone that made everyone besides Naruto shutter. "One more word and I'll have you detained."

Glancing to James, Naruto gave the man a hostile look that would send chills down any lesser man. However, James was unmoved and remained firm. Though it wasn't James who made Naruto hold his tongue, as the desperate look of Taiyang was more than enough to keep Naruto silent.

"Please Naruto just let this go." Taiyang begged in a low voice.

Gripping his hands tightly, Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm so fucking sick of all this." The young warrior declared in a soft whisper. "I should just go back to the tribe, it's where I belong."

James walked over and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Branwen I want you to walk with me." The General instructed, while he started to lead Naruto away from the group. Though he also pointed to a few of his robot soldiers. "And you have Roman Torchwick taken prisoner and prepared for questioning."

Everyone present watched as both Naruto and Roman were taken onto an airship by James himself.

"Just what happened?" Sun asked, as he looked around the group for answers.

"More bull shit that's what." Yang declared, while she shrugged away from her father. Then turning to face the man she snarled. "And what do you know about all this?"

"Yang you gotta understand." Taiyang drawled out, as she didn't know what to tell his daughter. However, the man was luckily saved by a newcomer.

"Now why is your tone so aggressive Miss. Xiao Long?" The voice of Beacon's headmaster asked.

Everyone turning to look at the man noticed he and Glynda approaching the group. The latter of whom was using her semblance to repair the tunnel.

"Ozpin." Yang mumbled in confusion.

Stopping at the group, Ozpin looked around the area with a frown. "I do not know what is going on, but I can assume it's not very good. Taiyang and Dr. Oobleck come with me and explain what is going on here."

Slowly Taiyang and the doctor started to walk off, leaving the students alone with nothing besides their questions. This of course caused even more rage to build up inside of Yang.

"What just happened!" Yang yelled in frustration.

Blake folded her arms and sighed. "The teachers and obviously keeping something from us."

Weiss huffed. "And it looks like your brother and Nora are in on it."

Ruby looked down at her partner's observation, while Pyrrha was busy running over everything Naruto had said to the group. Thinking maybe she should try to talk with Nora about it.

"But why are they keeping secrets?" Jaune asked, speaking what everyone was thinking. "I mean Naruto was talking about some enemy and mentioned a woman I think? What was he talking about?"

"Dude I have no clue." Sun admitted.

"Well one thing is clearly evident." Yang began, while she gritted her teeth. "Naruto and Nora can't be trusted. They are up to something and we are going to find out what!"

Weiss and Blake both nodded, while Ruby and Pyrrha were not on the same page as the girl. Ruby didn't want to go against either of her siblings, while Pyrrha had a little more trust and faith in her best friend and Naruto. Though all the boys seemed to gravitate towards Yang's side, placing even move divide among the young students.

While all the students were talking amongst themselves, one Cinder Fall was smirking far in the background. Things did not go according to plan, but it appears her enemies were questioning each other and not looking for her. In fact this lack of trust and anger could be a wonderful tool for her to abuse in the coming weeks.

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(Aboard Atlas's main flagship)

Walking side by side, Naruto and James were both relatively silent. As neither individual had said much before arriving aboard the main ship in Atlas's fleet. However, that was about to change as they both stopped at an open window. One which overlooked all of Beacon Academy.

"Ozpin does a lot of good and I trust him." James began, as his gaze zoned out onto the Academy. "However, I don't trust many of his methods and you're slowly finding yourself in a place I have been for quite some time."

Naruto glanced up to James with a questioning gaze. "What are you going on about?"

"Tell me I'm wrong, but you at times question Ozpin's decisions." James declared in a matter of fact tone.

"I do." Naruto admitted.

"And why wouldn't you? He sends inexperienced teams like Team RWBY to fight threats they are not ready for. He could have denied your sister's from their mission and sent you or had me form an assault team, but he didn't." James explained before taking a long sigh. "It's frustrating."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah it is, but why are you telling me this?"

Turning to Naruto, James clenched his fist. "We know the threat that is Salem, but unlike Ozpin we know what must be done. Work with me Naruto and together we can stand a better chance. We won't send unprepared soldiers and we won't conduct half assed operations. We will do what Ozpin won't to ensure victory."

"You're wanting me to betray Ozpin?" Naruto questioned, but James shook his head.

"Not betray, but use your skills to better benefit our battle. Ozpin is wasting your potential Naruto and with you and Nora both at my side we can win this fight!" James declared with passion. "All I'm asking is that you work with me and keep me informed. And in return I'll make sure you are the one in the front line, not your sisters'."

Thinking over his options Naruto eventually nodded. "My allegiance extends to myself and those I care about. I don't care who I side with as long as they are safe. So I'll agree to that for now."

James nodded and walked over to a door and with the click of a button opened a hatch. Allowing Naruto to see an awake and imprisoned Roman.

"Then let's get started Naruto." James began, while allowing Naruto a free path straight to Roman. "I'll give you a luxury Ozpin would never have the nerve to do."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

James nodded with a grin. "Interrogate our prisoner for any information you can. No limits or restrictions whatsoever."

Grinning ear to ear Naruto stalked over to Roman. The latter of whom blew out some air and laughed.

"If it isn't the little brat that hacked up Adam! It's been awhil-. . ." Roman began, but was stopped once Naruto grabbed the man by his hair. Then with incredible force Naruto jerked the man's face down into his kneecap.

"I gotta warn you." Naruto declared in an emotionless tone, while he violently jerked Roman around and continuously kicked the man in the face. "I'm not very good at interrogations."

Blood splattering against the wall and teeth bouncing across the floor, Naruto did not stop his battery of Roman for a couple of minutes. Though as Naruto was busy beating the criminal down, James watched every blow with an unmoved expression. Though eventually Naruto stopped kicking Roman and bent down to look at the man.

"So who do you work for?" Naruto asked, while he was still holding onto Roman's hair. As if he wasn't the man wouldn't look Naruto in the eyes.

"Go to hell-. . ." Roman declared, but was quickly kicked in the face again. However this time Naruto stopped by placing his foot into Roman's mouth. Shutting the man up and knocking a few teeth out at the same time.

"Let's try that again." Naruto began, as he glared at the man with a lifeless gaze and removed his foot. "Who do you work for?"

"Eat shit." Roman spat out in anger. "If I talk I'm a dead man."

Naruto bent back and prepared himself for another strike, but James placed a hand forward to stop him.

"Let's ease up on beating the man to death." James began in a calm voice. "After all we need him to have the ability to speak. We don't however need him to have his fingernails."

Naruto grinned wide and looked down at a wide eyed Roman. "You make a good point." The blond declared, while he placed the blade of his weapon to Roman's fingernail. Though in one quick move Naruto moved his blade and sliced off Roman's entire index finger, earning a wail of pain from Roman. "Oops, sorry about that. Like I said, I'm not very good at interrogations. Let me try that again."

Roman watched with horror as Naruto placed his blade onto another one of Roman's fingers. "You're a monster!" The man yelled out in pain.

Titling his head Naruto looked at Roman with a blank expression. "Tell me your plans and I'll stop."

"I tell you anything and I'll die." Roman began in a low voice. "I don't tell you anything I'll probably die." The man added before gritting his teeth and giving Naruto a smug look. "But if I take the latter option I can die knowing you'll suffer as well."

Nodding his head, Naruto slowly moved his blade up to strike. "You make some good points." The red eyed teenager began, before moving his katana up and cutting Roman's left hand at the wrist. Completely severing his hand and forcing the man to shriek in absolute agony. "But maybe that's my fault for not being a good interrogator. However, I got a whole other hand to work with ans improve on my mistakes!"

"I might be a no good criminal, but you're a really twisted and sick bastard." Roman grunted out, while the man was slightly shaking in pain. "Torture me all you like, I've made my mind so fuck off."

Grabbing Roman by the forehead, Naruto angrily slammed the man's head into the wall behind him. Causing the metal wall behind Roman to dent inward. "You know what I'm not in a good mood, but you wanna know what I am? I'm trying to protect people I care about. And trust me when I say there is no line I wont cross to do so."

Getting nothing besides silence, Naruto growled in anger. His red eyes glowing brightly, while his hand tightened on Roman's forehead. However, after a small moment James eventually placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Branwen that's enough." James began in a monotone voice. "He's completely unconscious and unresponsive. It didn't work."

Stepping back from Roman, Naruto punched the wall to his side in anger. As the young huntsman was upset with getting nothing from Roman.

"Damnit!" Naruto mumbled in frustration.

"I'll have medics patch him up and I'll try to squeeze any intel I can from him." James explained in an exhausted voice. "In the meantime you should regroup with your partner and prepare for the festival."

Naruto nodded in response. "Yeah I should, Nora's be left alone with mom for too long."

James turned around and started to walk away. "Good and remember our talk earlier Branwen. The real battle is slowly approaching and we cannot afford mistakes. We need to work together and do what Ozpin won't."

Glancing down to the beaten and bloody Roman, Naruto released a soft sigh. "Yeah we do, but who's to say our way is any better?" Naruto asked in a soft unheard voice, before completely disappearing in a red flicker of light.

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(With Nora)

Standing beside Raven, Nora watched as the bandit leader tapped her foot in anger. Her arms were crossed and her vision was placed on a small journal laying on the ground. Currently they were outside Raven's tent and looking for Naruto, but what they found obviously didn't sit well with the older woman.

"That little bastard of mine." Raven growled in anger, while she bent down to grab the book.

"What did Naruto do?" Nora asked, while she watched Raven take extra care to insure the book in hand was in perfect condition.

"He broke one of my rules and stole a book from my private collection." Raven explained in anger, while she looked around the area for her son. "I swear when I get my hands on him."

Suddenly without warning, Naruto appeared between both Maidens in a flicker of red light. His sudden appearance caused Nora's eyes to widen, as she noticed her boyfriend was in tattered clothing and looked exhausted. Raven on the other hand paid more attention to the way in which Naruto arrived. It was a teleportation, there was no question about that. However, it was different than anything she had seen done before.

"Naruto!" Nora yelled in worry, as she quickly engulfed Naruto in a hug. "What happen to you?"

Laughing at Nora's reaction, Naruto patted the girl on the back and held her close. "I found myself surrounded by a bunch of Grimm when I was practicing my teleporting."

Stepping forward, Raven glared down at her son. "And just what kind of teleportation was that? It wasn't like the Branwen family technique that utilizes portals for transport. It was practically instantaneous."

Shrugging his shoulders at his mother, Naruto wasn't completely sure about what had happened. However, he did have a small theory.

"Well when I came into contact with my relic it mutated my semblance. I went from stealing luck to basically stealing anything I wanted. Items, physical strength and so on. Though I lost the ability to use my family techniques, but now I believe they too were mutated by my relic. Which brings us to the present." Naruto explained, earning a small nod from Raven.

"I see, but where in all of this did you decide to rummage through my private collection?" Raven asked, her voice holding a decent amount of anger.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Saying it's yours is a bold claim, as I scanned through that journal you've got in your hand there. And I found it interesting that you have something that belonged to Summer Rose."

Raven gave her son a glare. "It's in my collection now, so it belongs to me. The dead don't have any ownership."

"And yet there is better people more deserving of that journal than you." Naruto replied, his mind going to Summer's daughter Ruby. "But I'm not in the mood to argue with another member of my family. That journal helped me work towards understanding my abilities just a little bit better. So I'm going to place my focus on that."

Nora tilted her head. "Just who were you arguing with?"

Sighing to himself Naruto crossed his arms and looked down. "It's a long story, but I think I should tell you both everything that has happened. As you'll probably find out when we return to Beacon in the next couple of week things will be. . . Well to say the least it's going to be awkward."

"Explain yourself." Raven demanded.

"I ended up teleporting to Yang, while her and team RWBY were fighting off a secret White Fang attack on Beacon. The whole attack was using abandoned tunnels filled with Grimm to invade the city below Beacon Academy. However, I was able to stop the Grimm before any damage could be done. Unfortunately, Yang and her friends started to question me and we argued. I almost let some information slip and General Ironwood took me away from the situation. So once we get back to Beacon I feel relations with Team RWBY and the rest of our friends will be rocky at best."

Nora looked down in sadness. "Well at least they will be safe."

Raven rubbed her chin at the mention of General Ironwood and didn't pay much attention to anything else. "What did James want with you?" Raven asked in a blank voice, causing Naruto to sigh. "I can almost guarantee he had some alternative motive for taking you away from everyone else."

Naruto nodded in confirmation. "He asked me to work more closely with him. He expressed his feelings on Ozpin and basically said working with him over Ozpin would better benefit our fight."

"And you agreed?" Raven asked.

"I did." Naruto answered back almost instantly. "He made a good point and shared an opinion I was slowly forming for myself. He also allowed me to interrogate the mastermind behind today's assault on Beacon. I didn't get any answers, but it was more than Ozpin would have given me."

"So we are working with General Ironwood now?" Nora asked in a confused tone, while Raven huffed in annoyance.

"Like hell you are." Raven began in an angered voice. "Ozpin is a goddamn fool, but James is a fucking madman. Ozpin will slowly send you two twaords your death, but James will lead you sprinting right into your grave. I'll be damned if I let either of those fools lead you two down the same path they sent me and my team. I've kept my mouth shut long enough, since I knew you were strong enough to mostly protect yourself Naruto. However, having those two morons lead you around will only end in the death of my son and daughter. Losing you two is something I won't stand for!"

Naruto sighed and subconsciously reached out and grabbed onto Nora's hand. The latter of whom was looking up to the bandit leader with surprise. As the older Maiden who Nora had spent time together with had referred to her as something so personal. Showing that deep down Raven actually held Nora in a high regard and even approved of her. This of course filled Nora with a large amount of pride and happiness.

"Mom when I first left the tribe I wanted to meet my sister's." Naruto began, his voice lifeless and soft. "But quickly I found myself forming bonds and before I knew it I was right where you were almost two decades ago. A young warrior fighting for a cause just to protect the people who they love. However, I don't belong at Beacon and besides protecting my friends and family. I honestly don't even know why I stay there. I've even hit a point now where the only thing keeping me at Beacon is Nora, as most of my friends and sisters don't trust me all that much."

Nora leaned into Naruto and held the boy close, but she didn't interrupt him.

"Because of that I've been feeling like leaving Beacon for good, but there is things I still have to do. So for now I'm going to use Ozpin and James for my own gain. I'm going to guarantee Beacon's safety and then once the school is safe from Salem. I will leave with Nora and come back home where I belong." Naruto declared, causing a wide and smug grin to grace Raven's face. "Nora is the only thing that would keep me at Beacon. Without her I have no reason to stay behind anymore. I've played student long enough, but now I'm ready to move on. I'll continue to oppose Salem in the future, just not on the behalf of Ozpin or James. I will once again place everything I have to this tribe and it's leader. "

Walking forward Raven wrapped both her arms around Naruto and Nora. Embracing both teens in a strong hug. "Your words make me more happy than you can understand. Welcome home my children."

Nora smiled at Raven's welcome and accepted the woman's embrace. Naruto seeing this was surprised by Nora's reaction, as he feared of the girl not approving of his choice. However, it appeared that Nora had slowly formed a small bond with Raven. So because of that Naruto knew he was making the right choice, he would finally be coming home. Though he would be doing so on his terms and not anyone else's.

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Chapter end.

Well here is the next chapter and pretty much sums up the majority of Volume 2! Next chapter will most likely skip ahead to the festival and kick off Volume 3 hype! I also wanted to make a mention of Naruto's new weapon. I got the inspiration off this amazing individuals work, so check it out. It's called fandmade "charcoal" trailer by Mark on YouTube. Give it a watch, you won't be disappointed.

Anyways have a wonderful day, thank you for reading. Leave a review and I will see you beautiful people next time!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16. Kicking off the Festivities

Walking side by side, both Naruto and Nora were silently weaving their way through the busy city streets of Vale. As with the Vytal Festival officially starting today the city was brimming full with spectators from the four kingdoms. Currently the young couple were trying to rush their way to the colosseum for their first round match. Though as Naruto and Nora maneuvered the busy sidewalk they attracted many looks, as after spending the past few weeks with Raven they both drastically changed their wardrobe.

Naruto was now wearing a dark red long coat with a wide open collar which exposed a large amount of his chiseled chest and abs, while his red fox mark was proudly on display. As the young warrior didn't wear any type of undershirt. The bottom half of the long coat flared out, which revealed his red leather pants, which were held up by a brown belt with a silver buckle. Attached to said belt was his new weapon Fox Flower, which was holstered in its magnum form. Finally Naruto wore a pair of plain dark red boots.

Though Naruto's attire was a significant change, it didn't compare even remotely close to Nora's outfit. See Raven had worked tirelessly to build Nora's self confidence up, so she cobbled together an outfit for the girl that highlighted the girl's natural beauty.

Nora's new outfit consisted of a highly revealing and open fur collared dark blue long coat, with pink heart shaped buttons that barely covered her bust and left the entire midsection of her torso revealed. Naruto didn't know how the fabric stayed so perfectly in place no matter how Nora moved, as Nora simply said she used some of her Maiden power to help her in that department. However, Nora's outfit also consisted of incredibly short dark blue shorts with a pink heart in the center, and matching thigh high boots. Nora's hair had also slightly changed, as her orange locks had grown longer and passed over her shoulders. Lastly her weapon was taken by Raven for keeping, as the woman wanted Nora to start fighting more with her Maiden abilities. So for the time being she was weaponless, but the girl didn't mind.

"Seems like the festival really brought in a lot of people." Naruto pointed out, while he noticed the passing looks he and Nora were getting.

Seeing a group of young girls eyeing her boyfriend, Nora leaned closely into Naruto and looked at each girl with a smug face. "All our time preparing and training has lead to this moment."

"Speaking of which we haven't made a game plan. Obviously we will be competing in the festival, but should we even try?" Naruto began in a casual voice, as he didn't care who listened in on their conversation.

Nora shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see why not? I understand wanting to save our strength, but let's be honest Naruto. Not a single student from the four kingdoms could give us a challenge."

Naruto smirked at Nora's claim. "So we aim to win until Salem shows her ugly mug?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking." The Winter Maiden declared, while she held a hand out. Causing a small twister of snow to swirl in her palm. "Your mom said it best before we left. No more hiding, no more secrets. We will fight this fight our way from here on out. Not Ozpin's way and not General Ironwood's way. We will do this like bandits."

Naruto laughed and tossed his head back. "I couldn't agree more. The headmasters and teachers wanna use us for their fight. Well we will use them and do things our way!"

Hearing loud cheering, Naruto and Nora both peered into a bar by their passing. Inside was hundreds of people watching a broadcast of the Vytal Festival Tournament. Currently a match had just ended and the victors were displayed before everyone. Seeing the winning team was none other than Team RWBY Naruto chuckled.

"Well looks like they managed to scrape by the first round." Naruto pointed out in a board tone.

Nora laughed. "You know if we don't hurry and show up for our match we won't make it passed the first round."

Grabbing his scroll Naruto noticed hundreds of messages from Jaune, Pyrrha, Ozpin and many more. As everyone from Beacon was constantly trying to get into contact with him and Nora. However, both he and Nora had for the most part ignored everyone they could. As they wanted to keep their focus on other things, like preparing for Salem's attack.

"You're right, I'm sure Jaune is losing his shit about us not being with them!" Naruto yelled loudly, as he was amused by the situation and didn't really care all that much. "But we have plenty of time before our match starts."

"Well let's go find our team. I have missed seeing Pyrrha after all this time apart." Nora admitted, while she and Naruto continued their way to the Vytal Festival grounds.

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(With Team RWBY)

Exhausted and in high spirits, Team RWBY were walking together through the Vytal Festival fair grounds. Ruby was leading the charge and trying to locate a nice place for her team to grab a quick bite to eat.

"So guys." Ruby began in a chipper voice. "What sounds good?"

Weiss shrugged her shoulders. "I'll take anything at this point, but we should hurry. The next round of matches will be starting soon."

Blake nodded at her friend's declaration. "If I'm correct Team JNNP is up next. It would be nice to cheer on Jaune and Pyrrha."

"Don't forget about Naruto and Nora!" Ruby cheered, but slightly backed down as she noticed the glares of her sister and friends.

"Let's just find a place to eat." Yang spoke up, as she wanted to move away from the conversation. Since just the mention of Naruto and Nora placed the girl in a sour mood.

Blake and Weiss nodded in agreement, as they two just wanted to move on and eat. However, before a group consensus could be made. A pair of familiar faces approached the members of Team RWBY.

"Congratulations on your first round." The voice of Pyrrha began, as she and Jaune both walked over to their girls. "It was a close match, but I'm glad to see your team advance."

Jaune smiled and gave the girls a thumbs up. "Yeah way to go girls!"

Ruby awkwardly rubbed her head at the praise from the older pair. "Aww thanks, but I'm sure you two will do even better!"

Jaune rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "That's if our team ever shows up."

Pyrrha placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "They won't let us down." The world renowned fighter declared, while the majority of Team RWBY rolled their eyes.

"You are far too trusting of those two Pyrrha." Weiss began in a crude tone, while she turned her body away from the redhead. "You're much better than that."

Pyrrha simply sighed in response and didn't make a verbal reply. Since the girl knew she wasn't going to get anywhere defending her friends amongst her current company.

"Well since you two are here, would you like to join us for a meal?" Blake asked.

Ruby perked up at this idea. "Yeah it can give you two some energy for your match!"

"I don't know." Pyrrha began, while she glanced away from the group. "We should really be looking for our team."

"Come on Pyrrha why don't we join them?" Jaune asked, while he held his hands out. "We don't know where to start looking for those two. So why not enjoy ourselves a little bit?"

Pyrrha still didn't seem convinced at the idea, so Yang finally stepped forward with a smile.

"Listen to your friends Pyrrha." Yang began in her usual upbeat tone. "Let's spend some time together!"

Being slightly persuaded by her friends Pyrrha was about to respond, but a loud and familiar voice caused everyone present to freeze and glance back. Causing everyone to see Naruto and Nora slowly approaching in their new attire.

"Pyrrha did you miss us?" Nora asked loudly, while she happily waved her hands high in the air. Her nearly exposed bust bouncing around in the process, but never letting anything slip out of her clothing.

"N-Nora?" Pyrrha mumbled in an embarrassed voice, as her best friend was hardly recognizable with her new look. "W-what are you wearing?"

Stopping a few feet in front of the group, Nora looked down with a confused expression. "Are the boots a little much?" The orange haired girl asked, while she moved her boots around for inspection.

Blushing red and his eyes glued to Nora's nearly exposed breasts, Jaune shook his head. "I don't think Pyrrha is talking about the boots."

Nora placed a finger to her lips and laughed innocently. "I'm confused then, what's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Wrapping his arm around Nora's neck, Naruto leaned forward with a grin. "Nora don't play dumb and get them all worked up."

Nora let a small whine out. "But it's so fun Naruto, look how flustered they are."

Scoffing with pure disgust, Weiss glared at the young couple. "Honestly what possessed you two to dress in such a manor? It's vulgar and disgusting."

Ignoring Weiss completely, Nora grabbed Pyrrha by the hand with a grin. "Let's bail Pyrrha, I got so much to catch up with you about!"

"But shouldn't we be preparing for our match?" Pyrrha asked in a nervous voice.

"Hey are you ignoring me!" Weiss added in loudly.

Nora glanced to Weiss with a blank expression. "Yes." The Maiden replied, before looking back at Pyrrha. "And we don't need to do nothing, trust me our matches will be easy."

"I wish that I shared some of your newfound confidence." Pyrrha admitted, while Weiss was busy foaming at the mouth.

Pushing past Blake and Jaune, Yang stood right in front of Naruto and Nora. Then with anger covering her face she bawled her fists.

"So I hear you were with my mother." Yang began, her voice soft and hostile.

Nora nodded. "What about it?"

Visibly shaking, Yang didn't appreciate Nora's uninterested tone. "What makes you so special that you get to meet my mother before me?"

"That's none of your concern." Nora replied, while at the same time looking up to Naruto. "We should probably head to the stadium."

"Yeah you're right." Naruto agreed, as he turned his body away from the group.

Yang held her hands out and glared at the two. "What that's it? You leave mysteriously and come back acting like nothing happened!"

"Pretty much." Nora spoke up, before looking Yang over. "Nothing me or Naruto do concerns you. So mind your own business."

"Like hell it does!" Yang yelled loudly, as the girl was starting to make a scene. "We are all on to you two Valkyrie! I know you two are hiding something and it's only a matter of time before I find out what it is!"

Grabbing onto Yang and pulling the girl back, Ruby frowned. "Yang stop it, people are starting to look."

"You think I care!" Yang yelled, while she kept her gaze on Naruto and Nora. Both of whom seemed completely uninterested in Yang.

"You know what Yang I'll throw you a bone." Naruto began, while he placed a hand to his weapon. "After the festival is over me and Nora are leaving Beacon for good."

Yang, Blake, Weiss and Ruby were all completely stunned at Naruto's declaration. Meanwhile Jaune and Pyrrha couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"What do you mean leave for good?" Ruby asked in a shocked voice.

Nora smiled at the girl. "Me and Naruto are going back to our home. Since we are both members of the Branwen Tribe."

This was a bombshell that no one present was expecting, especially with Nora saying she was apart of the tribe. Everyone knew Naruto was apart of Raven's tribe, but they didn't know Nora was as well. So it made everyone wonder for just how long has Nora been a bandit. Had she joined recently or had she been one all this time and kept it a secret?

"You're leaving one of the most prestigious academies to become bandits!" Weiss yelled in surprise.

"Why would you do that?" Ruby asked.

Naruto scoffed and folded his arms. "Neither one of us wanted to attend Beacon and we've had enough with this Academy. So we are leaving to start new lives for ourselves."

Jaune stepped forward and held his hands out. "But what about Team JNNP!" The boy cried out.

"Who cares." Naruto replied bluntly, while Nora placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That's not true we care, but you'll find replacements for us." Nora explained simply, while she glanced over to Pyrrha. Noticing her best friend had her head hung low.

"You would do that to your friends and teammates?" Blake asked in an angry voice. "That's just low."

"We don't need lectured by children." Naruto began, as he was growing annoyed by all the arguing going on.

"We really should go." Nora began, as she really didn't want this conflict to grow any worse. However, at this point that was impossible as the tension was pierced by a condescending laugh. One that was all too familiar and made Nora subconsciously curse.

"Now what could be going on here?" Cinder Fall asked, while she along with Emerald forced themselves into the conversation. Then as she looked Nora up and down she scoffed. "And what are you wearing you ugly Boar?"

Naruto slowly reached down for his weapon, thinking he was already leaving Beacon. So why not leave a little early with a small murder? Team RWBY all looked to Nora with concern in their eyes, their current relationship was strained at best. Though they had never heard of Cinder's insults before and it didn't set right with any of the girl's. Jaune simply looked around awkwardly, as he didn't know what to do. However, Pyrrha gave Cinder and Emerald both a hard death stare.

"Leave." Pyrrha ordered softly, as she was not in the mood to deal with Emerald or Cinder.

Cinder cocked a grin. "It's an open fair ground."

Emerald matched her leader's grin and winked at Jaune. "Can't blame us for passing by, besides Cinder was just asking a question."

"She didn't have to insult my friend." Ruby declared, while voicing herself to the group.

Naruto and Nora both glanced back to the youngest of the group with a smile. Glad to see no matter what was going on Ruby had their back.

"I'm just being honest." Cinder defended, while pushing her hair back arrogantly. "Someone who eats as much as Bora over there needs to learn to dress more modestly." The girl finished, while combining Nora's name with her boar insult.

Pyrrha stepped forward, causing Cinder to raise an eyebrow in interest. Wondering if the redhead was actually about to start a fight with her. However, the world class warrior was stopped by Nora of all people.

"You know Cinder." Nora began in a soft voice, while her longer hair slightly overshadowed her eyes. "Me and Naruto often talk about our sins. And in his case, Naruto's biggest flaw is his overwhelming greed. So much so I gave him the nickname of my Fox Sin of Greed."

"Oh how interesting." Cinder replied in an uncaring tone, while she slowly watched Nora lean in close to Naruto. Then Cinder felt a ping of jealousy as she watched Nora trail a hand down Naruto's body.

"But for me I'm someone consumed by gluttony. I find something I like and I take as much of it as I can get. So maybe I am a boar." Nora declared, while she grabbed Naruto's chin and brought her boyfriend into a deep kiss. Calming the slightly angered boy down and showing her affection to everyone present. Then after holding the kiss for a few seconds Nora broke away, then by giving Cinder a look that screamed Raven Branwen, Nora smiled. "I guess that makes me the Boar Sin of Gluttony doesn't it?"

Naruto grinned at Cinder's speechless reaction and grabbed Nora around the waist, pulling the girl even closer into him. "It makes you my Boar Sin of Gluttony."

Nora laughed and kissed Naruto once more. "You're right about that."

Her fingers twitching in anger, Cinder shrugged away from the group and walked off. An action that caused Emerald to quickly follow suit. Pyrrha seeing this honestly smiled and patted Nora on the back, as she was proud to see the girl stand up to her bully in such a way.

"Nora that was amazing." Pyrrha praised, while watching Cinder slowly disappear from view. "What's gotten into you? First the wardrobe change and now you're standing up to Cinder."

"Wait has Cinder been bullying you?" Jaune asked, showing his obliviousness.

"She has, but I got some good advice and teaching from Raven." Nora began in a happy tone, while she thought back to everything the woman did to build her up. "She helped me overcome a lot of my personal demons. Especially my self confidence."

Ruby smiled wide, happy that her friend was able to grow past a lot of her issues. Blake and Weiss were even slightly happy for the girl, regardless of how they felt. Yang on the other hand was still upset, as from how Nora talked about Raven. It sounded like Nora had gotten everything that Yang yearned for from her mother and never got. It really left Yang feeling envious of Nora and everything she had experienced with Raven.

"You know I'm happy for you Nora." Jaune began, while he looked down to his scroll in surprise. "But we need to go, our match is starting in two minutes!"

Naruto laughed and started to walk with Nora hugging his side. "Well let's go get this slaughter over with!"

Nora joined in on her boyfriend's laughter. "Can I do what Raven wanted me to do?"

"I don't see why not!" Naruto declared loudly, while Pyrrha and Jaune quickly followed the two. "It would piss off Ozpin and James. And I find that hilarious!"

"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha asked, while she ran parallel with Naruto and Nora.

"And why would it upset Ozpin?" Jaune added in.

"Oh you'll see." Nora replied in a giddy, but vague voice. "You'll see."

Team RWBY watching Team JNNP walk off remained silent. That was until Yang walked forward and followed her brother's team.

"Yang where are you going?" Ruby asked.

Looking back Yang kept a neutral face. "I'm gonna watch their match."

"But we haven't ate yet!" Ruby whined, while Blake and Weiss walked after Yang.

"You can eat later dolt." Weiss insulted.

"Come on Ruby let's go." Blake added in.

"Ah dang it." Ruby mumbled sadly, while she quickly ran after her team with a rumbling belly.

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(At the Stadium)

Standing in the center of the stadium, each member of Team JNNP bore a different expression on their face. Naruto was standing with a carefree expression, while showing no interest in the opposing team squaring them up. Pyrrha was serious and ready for their battle, showing her years of fighting experience. Jaune appeared nervous and was a little shy around the massive crowd cheering their names. Finally Nora was standing beside Naruto, her eyes fixated on her boyfriend.

Behind Team JNNP was a large mountain backdrop, as that was the terrain selected for their side of the fighting area. Standing across Team JNNP was Team BRNZ, who were surrounded by a forest terrain.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen are you ready for the next round of the Vytal Festival?" Professor Oobleck yelled, as he was one of the commentators for the event. "I know me and Taiyang are ready up in the booth!"

"Let's give it up for Beacon's very own Team JNNP!" Taiyang yelled, as the crowd spontaneously erupted in cheers for the four teens.

"Now Taiyang you wouldn't be holding any biased for Team JNNP. It is your son's team after all." Oobleck pointed out professionally.

Taiyang laughed up in the booth. "Possibly, but I'm a proud parent and you can't fault me for that!"

Down below Naruto listened in on the banter of his father and the doctor. This caused Naruto to roll his eyes, as he just wanted to get this fight over with.

"Hey Naruto." Nora began softly, earning her team's collective attention. "After we win this match we should have some down time."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah what about it?"

"We should go on a date." Nora declared in a bold tone, while slightly blushing. "I mean the two of us have technically never went on a real date together."

"Got anything in mind?" Naruto asked in a carefree tone.

Nora shrugged her shoulders. "Not sure yet."

Pyrrha leaned into the conversation with a smile. "I have a few recommendations if you two are interested."

Nora grinned happily at her best friend. "Oh like what Pyrrha?"

"And begin!" Taiyang yelled loudly, but Naruto, Nora and Pyrrha didn't pay any attention to the man. Jaune on the other hand did and watched nervously as Team BRNZ rushed their location.

"Well there is a really nice ramen stand in the city." Pyrrha began, while Jaune tried to make his way into the conversation.

"Uh guys." The team leader began, but got no response.

"Oh I do enjoy some ramen." Naruto admitted in a casual tone.

"Me too, but I like options." Nora added, while Team BRNZ was slowly closing in. "What else do you have?"

"There is a really great sushi place." Pyrrha explained, but Nora shook her head.

"Nah I'm not in the mood for fish." The Winter Maiden explained.

"Guys the match!" Jaune cried out, while pointing to the approaching enemy team.

"How about an all you can eat 24 hour breakfast buffet?" Pyrrha asked, causing stars to pop out of Nora's eyes.

"Absolutely!" Nora yelled happily, while Naruto simply shook his head and laughed.

"Sounds like we have a winner." The red eyed boy declared.

Jaune nodded sarcastically and pushed himself into the group. "That's great, but speaking of winning." Jaune began while aggressively pointing at their opponents. "Our match started!"

Naruto poked Jaune on the forehead and pushed the team leader back. "We know Jaune calm down." Naruto instructed before glancing to Nora. "My girls got this. So just stand back and watch."

"Well Nora better do something quick!" Jaune replied, while Pyrrha simply placed her gaze on Nora.

Looking over to their opponents Nora sighed. "It's really unfortunate." The Winter Maiden began, while a trail of ice sprouted out beneath her foot. Then in the blink of an eye the ice expanded and exploded outwards at Team BRNZ. Encasing the four teens to their heads in ice, while a glacier that dwarfed the mountain behind Team JNNP nearly reached out into the stands. "That you were unlucky enough to get matched against us."

The stadium was silent, as not a single person could register what had happened. One second it looked like Team JNNP was about to get hit by surprise. Then before anyone could even register what happened, half the arena turned into a winter wonderland and Team JNNP were all standing unharmed.

However, Jaune was looking at Nora with a speechless expression. As the team leader had absolutely no idea of what just happened. Pyrrha looked at her friend and then to the momentous glacier she had created. Her belief of being Beacon's strongest woman shattered, as she realized Nora was in a league far above her own. Naruto on the other hand had a shit eating grin, as he loved the stunned expressions of not only his teammates, but the entire stadium.

Up above in the stands, each member of Team RWBY was just as speechless as everyone else. As none of the girls could comprehend what Nora had just done. It wasn't a semblance and there was no dust used at all. The whole situation just seemed to be magical.

"What just happened?" Ruby finally asked, but couldn't remove her eyes away from Team JNNP.

"I-. . . I don't know." Weiss admitted.

"I've never seen anything like that before." Blake gasped in shock, as she along with her team didn't know what to think.

Yang gripped her fists and looked at the massive glacier. "Has Nora always been able to do that? Or was it something she got from my mother?"

"Like I said, I have no idea." Weiss replied honestly. "But whatever she did isn't normal I can say that much."

"We always knew Naruto was powerful, but I would have never imagined Nora being so strong as well." Blake admitted.

"They are in a league all their own." Ruby pointed out, as she really wanted to have a talk with the two older teens and figure out how strong they really were.

Back down in the arena, Jaune and Pyrrha looked at Nora with a gaping mouth. Neither knowing what to say to their fellow teammate. Nora seeing their reaction laughed and winked at the two.

"Pretty cool right?" Nora asked in a cheeky voice, while the entire stadium was silent.

Shaking his head, Jaune tried to form a proper response. However, the team leader couldn't think of anything to say. Pyrrha on the other hand simply titled her head in confusion.

"What was that?" Pyrrha asked, getting right to the point.

Nora winked at the girl while Naruto tossed an arm around his girlfriend. "It's a secret." She replied in a cheeky voice.

"Team JNNP wins!" Taiyang yelled throughout the speaker system. Causing the silent stadium to erupt in a roar of cheers and shouting.

Hearing his father Naruto smirked and started to walk off with Nora. "Let's go."

"Yeah we have a date to go on!" Nora cheered happily.

Pyrrha watched Naruto and Nora leave the stadium with a frown, as the girl had so many questions. Yet it would seem that the girl would get absolutely nothing from the pair. So sighing to herself she followed the two and left the stadium, while Jaune jogged slowly behind her.

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(Outside of the stadium, with Naruto and Nora)

Walking arm in arm, the young couple were making their way out of Beacon and towards the city for their date. However, as the two walked they both were quickly stopped by a small blur of rose petals that dashed in their path. Then to the surprise of both Naruto and Nora, one Ruby Rose was standing in the couple's way. She was bent over and panting, showing she had ran quite the distance and was a little winded.

"Can we help you?" Naruto asked, while he looked Ruby over.

"Why- . . Wh. . ." Ruby gasped out, while the girl held her hand up to pause the two.

Nora seeing this snickered and walked over to Ruby, then by patting the girls back she smiled. "Slow down Ruby." The orange haired girl instructed in a caring tone. "Try to catch your breath before talking."

Nodding her head Ruby took a few seconds to compose herself. Though after that short moment she fully stood up and locked eyes with Naruto.

"Why are you leaving Beacon?" The girl asked in a hurt voice.

Naruto sighed, as Ruby was still stuck on him leaving. "Listen Ruby." The red eyed boy began, while he walked closer to Ruby and placed a hand onto her shoulder. "I was never meant for Beacon, this place just isn't for me. I only came here to meet you and Yang and now that I have it's time I move on."

"But don't you wanna stay with your friends and family?" Ruby asked, while a small tear formed in the corner of her eye. "Won't you miss us?"

"Of course I would miss you, but it's not like you'll never see me again." Naruto declared, while he ruffled Ruby's hair. Leaving her short hair in a mess. "I'm leaving Beacon, but I will always make time for my friends and precious little sister."

"Yeah Ruby don't make a big deal of it." Nora added in happily. "Think of it as us graduating early!"

"Except instead of graduating we are just dropping out." Naruto declared with a small laugh.

"So you'll promise to stay in touch and visit often?" Ruby asked, causing Naruto and Nora to hug the girl in response.

"Of course!" Nora replied loudly, while she practically smothered the younger girl.

"You won't get rid of us that easy kiddo."'Naruto added in.

Ruby smiled and enjoyed the embrace of the two older teenagers. Their small moment lasted for a few more seconds until a new individual made themselves known by latching onto Naruto and hugging the blond tightly.

"Ehhh what the fuck." Naruto cursed, while he looked down to an unfamiliar girl he had never seen before.

"Salutations!" The girl greeted cheerfully, while she continued to hold onto the teens around her.

"You have three seconds to let go before I slice your arms off!" Naruto yelled at the girl, as he didn't appreciate unknown people invading his space.

Ruby seeing the situation started to freak out. "Ahhhh Naruto wait she is my friend from Atlas! Her name is Penny so please don't hurt her!"

Breaking away from everyone Naruto looked at Penny. Noticing the girl was a little strange and unusual. "Your friend?"

Penny nodded. "Yes me and Ruby are very good friends. You're her older brother Naruto correct? The General has told me a lot about you!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Penny. "And what exactly has he told you?"

"He said you're an alcoholic loose cannon." Penny replied in an upbeat tone.

"Oh he did?" Naruto asked, while the blond made a face and slowly rocked his head side to side. "Ehh seems about right."

Nora rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "You sound so proud of yourself."

Naruto grinned and pulled a flask out of his pocket. "You're damn right."

Ruby sighed at her brother's antics and Nora pinched the bridge of her nose. Penny on the other hand looked to the oldest of the females with curiosity.

"Oh you're Nora Valkyrie! The General has spoken a lot about you as well!" The robotic girl declared to the group of teens. "And I can see why after watching your last match. You were quite amazing!"

Nora rubbed the back of her head at the praise. "Uh thanks."

"Speaking of your match." Ruby began, while she locked eyes with Nora. "What exactly did you do?"

"I used an ability I have to win." Nora replied, while not lying to the girl and not explaining herself at the same time. A response that made Ruby childishly pucker her lips and pout.

"Are you gonna actually answer my question?" The small scythe wielder asked.

Nora laughed and poked Ruby's forehead. "Nope." The Winter Maiden declared, as she pushed Ruby back.

"Why not?" Ruby whined.

Taking a sip from his flask Naruto grinned. "You're competition right now Ruby." The alcoholic bandit began, while he pointed to Penny. "And your friend here is our enemy as well. So it wouldn't make sense for me and Nora to reveal our secrets."

Ruby hung her head, as she bought into Naruto's way of thinking. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am!" Naruto laughed, while he kept drinking out of his flask. "I'm always right!"

Nora rolled her eyes and mumbled something in response, but no one paid attention to that. No everyone was surprised once Penny started to act strange and quickly ran around Ruby and started to conceal herself behind the girl's cape.

"Um Penny are you okay?" Ruby asked, while she looked over her shoulder and down to the girl.

Putting a finger to her lip Penny looked afraid. "Shhh don't let anyone know I'm here."

"I can see you Penny." A commanding a strict voice declared, while the sound of footsteps approached the group.

Penny released a startled yelp, meanwhile Naruto and Nora looked back. Allowing the two teens to see a tall young woman, with a fair complexion, white hair and slate blue eyes. Her hair was tied up in a bun at the rear left corner of her head, causing her bangs to fall towards the right side of her face, and leaving a small curled lock of hair that reaches below her left ear.

Her attire was blue, white and gray colored, while consisting of a white coat with a red brooch, exposed upper arms and black gloves and her pants had garters incorporated into them. The woman seemed familiar to the group, but by the Atlas soldiers flanking her sides Naruto assumed she worked for James.

"Where is your handler Penny? You shouldn't be walking out unsupervised!" The woman yelled, while practically glaring a hole passed Ruby.

Standing up and revealing herself Penny waved awkwardly at the woman. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to come see my friends."

"That is unacceptable behavior Penny, you know better than to wander off on your own." The woman pointed out, while she folded her arms and tapped her foot. "I've only been at Beacon for a few minutes and it looks like I need to instill some order here."

"For fucks sake it's like a second Weiss." Naruto groaned, while the blond took another swig from his flask.

The woman instantly shot her attention at Naruto, while Nora, Ruby and Penny had their eyes as wide as saucers. Since they could see the slight anger radiating out of the woman's eyes.

"Boy just who do you think you are? And what is your connection to my little sister?" The woman asked.

Naruto almost spat out some of his booze in surprise. So by taking a quick swallow he looked directly at the woman. "There is more of you Schnee dick wads?"

The woman growled under her breath. "Speak with respect when addressing me. I am Winter Schnee and I serve directly under General James Ironwood."

"And I'm Naruto Branwen." Naruto began while holding up his middle finger. "Go fuck yourself."

Winter seemed appalled and sneered at the young blond. "There is more of you revolting Branwen?"

Nora raised her eyebrow, as it appeared she was meeting the sister of Weiss Schnee. Who also had some negative opinions about Naruto's family.

"Maybe we should leave before things escalate." Nora purposed, while she firmly grasped down on her boyfriend's arm. Knowing it was only a matter of time before he made things worse.

Naruto pointed a finger at Winter. "But I ain't done with this bitch." The blond declared, while his words were already starting to slur. Then to make matters worse he took another chug from his flask.

"Ruby get that flask away from your brother!" Nora instructed, while she started to tug on the drunken Branwen.

"Okay!" Ruby replied, while she tried her hardest to tug the alcohol away from Naruto. However, the youngest of the group was having no luck whatsoever.

Winter tightened her fists and glared at Naruto. "You Branwen's are all the same." The Atlas specialist began in an angered voice. "Nothing besides a bunch of useless drunks."

"Oh yeah." Naruto began slowly, while he resisted Nora and Ruby tugging on him.

Suddenly the head of an Atlas robot landed by the group and rolled by Winter's feet. This caused everyone to look back and see a new arrival, who was quickly discarding a headless Atlas robot.

The individual was a man with graying spiky black hair, dull red eyes, and had slight stubble along his jawline. He wore a red, tattered cloak along with a gray dress shirt, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

He also had a ring on his right index finger, two other rings on his right ring finger, and a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant. While a large blade was placed on his backside.

"Oh yeah, well you're. . . You're." The man began, while he pointed a finger at Winter and stumbled on his words. "You're bitch."

Winter sneered at the man and his poor insult, Naruto on the other hand laughed loudly.

"Hah fucking roasted." Naruto shouted loudly, earning a laugh in response from the man.

"This kid gets it!" The man declared in a triumphant tone.

Winter pressed a finger to her temple and squinted her eyes. "And like that I regret leaving Atlas." She declared, while opening her eyes and glaring at the man. "And what exactly are you doing here Qrow?"

Ruby's eyes were wide in surprise, as she looked the man over. Overjoyed to see the man after being away from him for so long. Nora even cracked a smile, as she had missed seeing the old drunk who had saved her all those years ago. Naruto on the other hand leaned forward and closely bent into Winter's personal space.

"I think he is standing." Naruto whispered, as he drunkenly answered Winter's question.

"That's not what I meant you buffoon!" Winter yelled, while she stepped away from Naruto and pointed at Qrow. "I want to know why he is here and destroying Atlas property!"

Qrow held his arms out and looked down at the demolished Atlas robot. "Oh is that what these were? My bad I thought they were sentient garbage."

"I don't have time for your immature games Qrow." Winter repiled. "I've already had the displeasure of meeting your family."

Squinting his eyes Qrow looked forward. "Huh?"

"Hey Uncle Qrow!" Ruby giggled, as she waved at the man. An action that warmed the man's heart and caused him to smile. "Look my big brother Naruto is here too!"

Qrow nodded and looked at the red eyed boy, the latter of whom looked like a male version of Raven with blond hair. "So it would seem."

"Oh and I'm here too Cow!" Nora declared, causing Qrow to roll his eyes. As in all the years since he had saved Nora, the Winter Maiden still called him Cow instead of Qrow.

"Wonderful." The man mumbled, while looking back to Winter. "And why are you here? Come to help your boss backstab Ozpin?"

"I don't know what you're insinuating, but if I were you I'd hold your tongue before I crave it out." Winter declared, while she grabbed her weapon and pointed it at Qrow.

Naruto laughed loudly, causing Winter to twitch and glare at the boy. "Man you Atlas soldiers are some uptight idiots!" The blond declared. "You would pick a fight with my uncle when he could kill you easily."

Winter turned and trusted her blade at Naruto, the latter of whom blocked her strike with his own weapon without any effort. Then by giving the woman a grin he chuckled in a low voice. "And you're suicidal enough to attack me."

"Qrow I'm going to teach your nephew some manners." Winter declared, while she glared at the young bandit. "And once I'm done you shall be next."

Qrow looked at Naruto's eyes, seeing a burning red gaze he had only ever seen from his sister. This of course caused Qrow to shake his head. "If that kid is anything like his mom I would run while you can."

"I'm not intimidated by a foolish child." Winter declared.

Grinning ear to ear Naruto knocked Winter's weapon to the side. Then without warning he kicked the woman in the stomach and sent her rolling across the courtyard.

"Oh you should be." Naruto replied, while he glanced over to Nora. "And I'll be quick so we can make our date."

Nora sighed and backed up. "Alright be just don't hurt her too bad. She's arrogant, but we will need her for what is too come."

Ruby tilted her head at what Nora had said and stood by the older girl and out of the way. However, she didn't ask any questions, instead she kept her focus on Naruto.

Naruto twirled his weapon and watched winter stand to her feet. "Don't worry, I'm just gonna knock her down a few pegs." The blond replied, while he pointed his blade at Winter. "So bring it on Schnee."

Winter squared the blond up and gritted her teeth, as she realized that Naruto was powerful and fast. She didn't even see him move earlier and his kick really hurt and might have broken one of her ribs. Winter acknowledged that Naruto wasn't like any foe she had faced before, so she had to go all out if she wanted to avoid getting herself seriously injured. So grabbing her weapon, Winter shot forward and started the fight between the two.

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(Chapter end)

So here is the next chapter and for now I might be heavily focusing on this story because I'm now in volume 3. I'll still be working on other stories, but I'll be doing a lot more for this one as I've already planned for this Volume to last to about chapter 23-24 and I really want to write Volume 3 as this is one of the major parts I've been working to get to for soooooo long.

Anyway tell me what you thought. Like Naruto and Nora's new outfits? Interested to see Naruto vs winter and are you ready for the fucking bloodbath that is Volume 3 Shinobi of Greed style?


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17. Pulling the Curtain

Winter shot forward at her fastest speed possible, while her blade was pointed forward at Naruto. Meanwhile the young Branwen watched the approaching woman with a blank expression, as he wasn't impressed with the woman in the slightest. Though once Winter was a few feet away from reaching Naruto, she suddenly took a side step and jumped onto a concrete pillar. Then as a glyph appeared under her feet, Winter rocketed at Naruto with a newfound burst of speed.

However, Naruto easily dodged the woman's attack by simply moving to the side. This resulted in Winter stabbing the ground instead of striking Naruto. This failure didn't stop Winter, as she showed her years of combat experience and skill by twisting her torso and swiping at Naruto with a horizontal strike. Unfortunately for Winter all she managed to do was swing at air, as Naruto was nowhere to been seen.

"Where did he- . . ." Winter began, but stopped as she felt a cold pointed tip gently poke the nape of her neck.

"Dead." Was the simple word Naruto whispered into Winter's ear. Causing the eyes of the Atlas specialist to grow wide in shock.

Rolling forward in desperation, Winter turned herself to face Naruto. However, as she pointed her weapon forward to defend herself. Winter was surprised to find Naruto was nowhere in sight.

"Stop with these foolish gam- . . ." Winter began once more, but was silenced the moment Naruto's blade slowly rubbed the bottom of her chin and slid its way down her neck. Then by glancing out of the corner of her eye, Winter's blood began to boil. Considering Naruto was right beside her, while one hand was on his weapon and the other was holding the flask he was drinking out of.

Naruto slowly pulled his flask away from his lips and looked at Winter with a deep crimson stare. "Dead again." The blond taunted, as for the second time in mere seconds of their fight he had humiliated the woman.

Gritting her teeth in anger, Winter showed off her flexibility and bent herself under Naruto's blade. Then by tightening the grip on her own weapon she batted the blond's katana up to where it pointed at the sky. Then by following up she sent a quick strike right for Naruto's torso.

"Take this you arrogant brat!" Winter yelled, while she thrusted her blade forward.

Naruto watched with a large grin on his face as Winter was mere inches from striking him. Then at the last moment before the tip of her blade could touch him, Naruto vanished in a flicker of red light.

Winter was absolutely shocked, as her opponent vanished before her very eyes. She wasn't the only one who was surprised, as Ruby, Penny and even Qrow were surprised by Naruto's sudden disappearance.

"I'm really getting bored here." Naruto declared, as everyone quickly looked to the sound of his voice. Noticing the blond was right beside Nora with his arm around the girl. "This wasn't as fun as I thought it would be."

Nora huffed in response. "Well maybe you shouldn't go starting fights with everyone you meet."

Naruto grinned wide. "What can I say it's part of my charm."

Nora rolled her eyes and poked her boyfriend on the nose. "Well hurry up and finish this up already. You promised me a date and I'm hungry."

Spinning Fox Flower in his hands Naruto chuckled, while he stabbed the blade into the ground. Then by stepping away from Nora, Naruto held a hand out behind him and pointed his open palm at Ruby. "Don't worry I won't take much longer." Naruto began, while Crescent Rose flew off of Ruby's back and flung itself into Naruto's grasp. "But let's at least make this fight interesting. I've never killed someone with a scythe before."

Winter glared at Naruto and took a slight defensive stance, as she was slightly weary of the boy. Ruby on the other hand held her hands out and whined.

"Naruto what are you doing with my baby!" The younger sibling asked, while she watched Naruto shift her weapon into its scythe form. "I didn't say you could use Crescent Rose!"

Naruto turned to Ruby and gave the girl an eye smile before rubbing the back of his head. "Don't worry I'll take good care of her." The older sibling repiled, while he instantly blocked a sneak attack from Winter with the blade of Crescent Rose. Then by looking over his shoulder to Winter, Naruto gave the woman a devious grin. "Besides, I think it's high time your baby got her first taste of blood."

Winter growled. "You arrogant brat! I'm going to-. . ." The woman began, but suddenly stopped once Naruto started to twirl and spin the scythe in his hand. Moving with speed and grace that Winter was incapable of following. So backing away from the blond, Winter was quickly sliced on the cheek by Crescent Rose.

However, Naruto didn't stop attacking Winter for a second and continued to follow the woman as she retreated back. This caused Winter to take multiple cuts from the scythe blade and blunt blows from Naruto using the weapons handle as a makeshift staff.

Ruby watched her brother fight with amazement, as she has never seen another person use her weapon like Naruto was. It was like every single movement he made was for the single purpose of chaining together a follow up attack.

"He's incredible." Ruby declared, while she watched Naruto kick Winter away. Sending the woman sailing across the courtyard. "Naruto's better with Crescent Rose than I am!"

Penny watched the blond with a calculated eye. "He is certainly impressive. I can't find any patterns in his fighting style and he leaves next to no openings." The robotic teen added in.

Nora folded her arms and grinned. "You have to remember that Naruto was raised to be a warrior. He's been training and fighting since he could walk and his teacher is one of the most dangerous women I've met." The Winter Maiden began, while she looked at the ground around Naruto. Noticing the blond had scarred the ground around him as he attacked. "Winter lost the moment she decided to fight someone who was raised to kill people like her."

Penny looked at Naruto with a nervous gaze. "He won't kill Winter will he?" The girl asked, while Ruby glanced to Nora for answers.

"Nah." Nora replied with a small laugh, while she waved the girl off. "Naruto's just gonna teach her a lesson."

Ruby tilted her head. "And what exactly is that lesson?"

Nora grinned like a madwoman at the younger girl's. "You don't fuck with us."

Over with Naruto, the fox marked bandit was stalking his way over to Winter. As he walked Naruto dragged the blade of Crescent Rose against the ground, causing the blade to dig up the ground behind him. Meanwhile Winter was busy taking deep breaths and trying to roll herself off the ground. Considering Naruto had kicked the air out of her with his previous attack. However, Winter was seriously down for the count and couldn't find the strength to recover.

'Have you not had enough Naruto?' The voice of Ren asked. 'Because I believe she has learned her lesson.'

Naruto scoffed and held Crescent Rose up, brining the blade of the weapon eye level with his crimson iris. Allowing the bandit to see the drops of Winter's blood that were dripping off the edge of the weapon.

"I don't know." Naruto began out loud, while he spun Crescent Rose around and stood over top of Winter. "I'm finally having some fun."

Winter coughed up some blood and tightened her fists, she then glanced up to Naruto with pure anger. However, her anger turned to surprise once she glanced passed Naruto. Seeing something blurring towards her and Naruto.

"Stay away!" Winter screamed loudly, causing Naruto to tilt his eyebrow in interest and glance over his shoulder.

"Stay away from my sister!" Was the loud cry of one Weiss Schnee. Who was currently charging at Naruto with her weapon ready. However, surprisingly enough the girl wasn't alone.

In fact Naruto was genuinely entertained to see his twin sister Yang along with Blake flanking each of side of Weiss. So jumping away in response, Naruto landed on a pillar overlooking everyone.

"What are you doing!" Yang yelled, as she stopped at Winter's side and glanced up to Naruto. "Have you gone insane?"

Weiss bent down and inspected her older sister, noticing the woman was bleeding and her clothes were in tatters. "Winter are you okay?"

Coughing in response, Winter glared at the girl. "Get away from here. This is my fight."

Blake gritted her teeth, as she heard Winter. So looking up she saw Naruto's uncaring stare. "Just what are you doing!"

"She started it." Naruto declared, while he rested Crescent Rose on his shoulder and hunched over. "She's lucky I was just playing around with her. If not you would be short one older sister Weiss."

Weiss stood up and pointed her weapon at Naruto. "It's time I finally shut you up!" The girl declared, causing Naruto to toss his head back and laugh.

"You." Naruto began as he started to burst in laughter once more. "You really wanna start a fight with me?"

Yang stepped forward and glared at her twin. "She's not the only one."

Blake nodded and walked forward. "The three of us will teach you a lesson."

"Teach me a lesson?" Naruto began in a dull lifeless voice, before he sent Crescent Rose hurling past the wide eyed Faunus. Causing the weapon to stab into the ground between the girl's. "Let's get one thing straight from the start. You three wouldn't last a second against me when I cut loose."

Unfazed by her brother, Yang looked ready to jump forward at her twin. "Well aren't you the arrogant one!"

Standing up straight, Naruto held his hand out towards the direction of Fox Flower. Causing his weapon to fly over and into his hand. "Winter saw how deadly I am with a weapon I've never touched before. So you three should ask yourself this question. Just what can I do with a weapon I've mastered?"

Yang, Blake and Weiss all struck fighting stances and appeared like they were ready to pounce forward. This of course caused Naruto to smirk and hold his arms out, inviting the girl's to make a move.

Off to the side Qrow watched the scene with a calculated eye. Part of him knew he should stop things before they got worse, but he was curious to see where this would go. So the aged drunk stayed back and simply observed.

Ruby on the other hand was a mess, as she didn't like the current development between her siblings and friends. So turning to Nora, Ruby decided to voice her concerns.

"Are they really gonna fight?" Ruby asked in a saddened voice.

Nora sighed and patted Ruby on the shoulder before walking forward. "No this has gone too far." The Winter Maiden declared, while she slowly approached the group and held her right hand high into the air. "So stand back Ruby."

Taking a few steps back, Ruby watched Nora with a nervous gaze. Then in an instant the Winter Maiden snapped her fingers, causing the snap to echo throughout the courtyard and ice to exploded around the entire area. Leaving Yang, Weiss and Blake all covered from head to toe in a casing of ice in mere seconds.

Naruto seeing this smirked and glanced over to his girlfriend. "Was that really needed? I was just starting to have fun." The blond haired boy whined in a playful voice.

Walking a few feet away from Yang, Nora crossed her arms over her chest. Then as she released a soft huff, Nora glared at Naruto. "You were just making things worse."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and jumped down to Nora. "You might have a point."

Nora smiled and poked her boyfriend's nose. "Of course I do." The bubbly girl replied, while Naruto leaned in and stole a kiss from her.

While the young couple shared a small loving moment, all the onlookers present couldn't help themselves from staring at Nora with complete shock. Ruby didn't know what to think, as all she knew was that Nora used the same power as before. A power which rendered her entire team completely trapped and useless.

Qrow was more surprised to see Nora use her Maiden powers so openly, as he didn't see or hear about her prior match. The older huntsman was also slightly impressed in how much the young girl had improved with her abilities.

Weiss and Blake didn't know what to think, as both girls were left speechless by Nora's simple display of superiority. Yang on the other hand gritted her teeth and tried her hardest to free herself. However, she quickly found all attempts meaningless and hung her head in defeat.

"Now just what is going on here?" A calm, but assertive voice asked.

Everyone hearing the voice turned to find Ozpin and Glynda approaching the group. All seeing the emotionless expression on the headmaster's face wondered what was going through his mind.

"Nothing important." Naruto replied casually, while he slowly placed one hand into his pocket and the other gripped his weapon. "Just some friendly games among friends."

Glynda glared at the blond. "Is that the best you have to defend yourself? Because I see a heavily injured member of the Atlas military, destroyed public property and three students encased in ice. So try that again before I have you punished."

A grin forming on his lips, Naruto twirled Fox Flower around in his hand. "I'm sick of your threats." The blond began in a carefree tone, while he pointed the tip of his blade at Glynda. "So rethink what you say to me before you end up worse than Winter over there."

Glynda gritted her teeth and took a step forward, but Ozpin held the woman back.

"I believe that is enough. Nora please free Yang, Blake and Weiss. Then I would like for you and Naruto to join me in my office for a private conversation." Ozpin began, while at the same time finally noticing Qrow. "And Qrow I'm glad to see you have returned. I would like to speak with you as well."

Qrow nodded and started to walk off silently. Nora on the other hand turned to Yang and company with a frown.

"So much for our date." The Winter Maiden grumbled, while she snapped her fingers and the ice shattered.

Being freed the previously trapped members of Team RWBY all looked at Naruto and Nora. A moment ago they were ready to jump and attack both one of them. However, all any of the girls could do now was stand in disbelief at how truly powerful the duo was. It was one thing to witness their power, but to be the targets of the duos overwhelming strength was an all new experience.

"Well let's go." Naruto purposed, as he nudged Nora to start walking.

"But what about her?" Nora asked out loud, while she glanced down to Winter. "She needs some medical attention."

Naruto rolled his eyes and Ozpin sighed. "Team RWBY will you four please escort Winter to the nearest infirmary?" The headmaster asked before turning to Glynda. "And will you please request James to meet me at my office after you inform him as to what has transpired."

Glynda nodded, while Ruby ran over to her team to assist Winter. Naruto not caring to see anything else started to walk off with Nora following him

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(Ozpin's Office)

Naruto and Nora were both standing side by side in front of Ozpin, meanwhile the headmaster was at his desk with Glynda flanking his right. To Ozpin's left was Qrow who was casually leaning against the wall and gazing out the window. Finally as the elevator to Ozpin's office opened, General Ironwood entered the room with a scowl and broke the silence.

"Just what in the hell happened?" James began, while he made his way near Naruto and Nora. "First Nora is seen using her Maiden powers in public and then I hear you seriously injured one of my best soldiers Naruto!"

Naruto glanced over to the man without showing any sign of caring. "She attacked me first. Not my fault she got in over her head."

James gritted his teeth, he knew Winter was a head case. So he could believe that she would start an altercation with someone like Naruto. However, that still didn't explain or justify Nora's actions.

"That might be the case, but how will you defend Nora using her Maiden powers so openly?" James asked, while he looked around the room for others to chime in.

Naruto scoffed. "Like it matters if Nora uses her powers or not. Not a single person knows what the Maidens are. Plus it's not like we are hiding Nora, Salem knows she is the Winter Maiden."

Nora nodded at what Naruto was saying. "Naruto is right and besides Spring wanted me to start utilizing my abilities more anyways. So that's why I'm going to start showing the world the power I have. No more hiding."

"That's foolish." James declared.

Ozpin sighed at the remark and massaged his forehead. "What's done is done." The headmaster began in a low voice. "Nothing can be changed now, but I wish you would have at least talked with me about your decision before acting. People may not know about the Maidens, but they will start questioning Nora's abilities."

Nora shrugged her shoulders and held her palm out, while a small shard of ice started to swirl into shape. "Let them guess." The Winter Maiden declared boldly before she shattered the ice into pieces and smiled. "I'm done hiding who I am and the power I have."

Naruto grinned at his girlfriend's words. "And I'm with you one hundred percent."

"You'll cause chaos!" James declared in an angered voice, while he glared at Nora and Naruto. "And not only that, but more people will want your power if they learn about you Nora and come after you! Doesn't that concern either of you two?"

Naruto tilted his head and slowly glanced around the room. Making sure to slowly lock eyes with each person inside for only a brief moment. "If a single person even tried to harm a hair on Nora's head. Trust me when I say I would personally butcher every single person that person ever knew or even spoke with."

The room was silent, as the way Naruto spoke was almost as if he was threatening the room. James took this to heart and kept his glare on Naruto, while Glynda kept a more reserved expression. Ozpin was neutral and appeared to be deep in his own thought. Finally Qrow had slight goosebumps going down his spine. Thinking to himself just how much his nephew resembled his sister Raven.

Nora leaned into her partner and rubbed her head against his shoulder. "Such a greedy little boy you are." The orange haired girl teased, as her giggle pierced the silence. "You just want me all to yourself"

Naruto chuckled before giving Nora a quick kiss. "Heh who are you calling greedy? I'm pretty generous with all the love I plan to give you. That's if you can handle it all."

Nora wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and hung off the boy. Then by releasing a small smile, she along with Naruto completely ignored the looks they were getting from the adults in the room. "You best believe I'll take every god damn thing you've got my little Fox Sin of Greed."

Naruto snickered at the nickname and nodded. "Have it your way my Boar Sin of Gluttony."

Watching the young couple flirt and laugh, Ozpin suddenly brought a hand to his mouth and started to cough. Hoping to get the attention back towards the main discussion at hand.

"I'm glad you two are so happily in love, but we do have serious matters to discuss." The headmaster began, while at the same time standing out of his chair.

Huffing and removing herself from her boyfriend, Nora looked at Ozpin before placing her hands to her hips. "Well get to the point already, me and Naruto were supposed to be on a date by now. Not stand around and listen to the lot of you bitch and moan."

Glynda looked at Nora with surprise, as she never imagined the girl acting so much like her boyfriend. Ozpin on the other hand looked at Nora with a calculated gaze, as he could see a slight shift in the girl's personality.

"Well we have mentioned Naruto's incident with Winter and it seems you won't be hiding your abilities anymore." Ozpin began in an exhausted voice, while he slowly walked over to a console. "So let's talk about the Fall Maiden."

Everyone watched with Interest while a hologram projecting several numbers and vital signs appeared in the middle of the room. This of course caused Naruto and Nora to easily deduct that these were Amber's vitals. Though further inspection from the young couple made them both see that Amber was declining at a rapid pace.

"Amber's dying." Nora began in a shocked voice, while her mind was still trying to accept the fate of the Fall Maiden.

Qrow removed himself from the back wall and walked forward. "Yeah and she's going faster than we first estimated. I'd wager she only has a few more days to a week left."

Naruto kept his vision on the projection. "Then the remains of her powers will go into whoever Amber's attacker was"

"That's why we need to find a new host for Amber's abilities and fast." Ozpin began, while he closed the projection and looked at the Winter Maiden and Relic Wielder. "I still stand by my previous nomination of Pyrrha being made into the next Fall Maiden."

"She is an incredibly powerful warrior and is a worthy candidate." James added in.

"I don't like it." Nora declared honestly. "I don't want more of my friends in Salem's crosshairs. However, I do understand how dire the situation truly is. If we don't act fast Salem will get the full power of the Fall Maiden on her side."

Naruto merely nodded at what Nora had said. "So if we must give someone Amber's powers there really is only one person worthy. It doesn't matter if we like the idea or not. Pyrrha becoming the Fall Maiden is our best move."

"So are we in full agreement that we should approach Miss. Nikos and pull back the curtain to what is really happening?" Glynda asked, while not a single person uttered anything in response.

Ozpin seeing this nodded his head and grabbed his coffee mug. "It's settled then. We shall call Pyrrha in and share with her some of what we know. Then we will give her the choice. Become the Fall Maiden and help us or turn away and live her life free of this massive burden."

Nora sighed and turned her body to the elevator. "Well I'll leave the talking to you guys. Me and Naruto have a date to go on." The Winter Maiden declared, while she and Naruto started to walk off. "After you talk with Pyrrha I'll take some time to speak with her. Having a conversation with an actual Maiden might help her make a decision."

Ozpin nodded. "Very well, after we speak to Miss. Nikos I'll send her your way."

Qrow watched the two nod and enter the elevator. "And try to stay out of trouble in the meantime!"

Naruto and Nora both grinned at the man, while the elevator started to slowly close.

"No promises!" Nora declared, as Naruto laughed.

"We have a bad track record with finding trouble." The blond added, while the elevator closed shut. Leaving the room with nothing besides the adults, who had to prepare themselves for the coming conversation with Pyrrha.

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(Unknown location)

Seated alone on a large throne with her legs crossed was none other than Salem herself. The vile woman bore a bored expression, while she noticed the door to her chamber open. This revealed one of her most loyal servants slowly entering the room.

"Master." The individual greeted, while taking a knee to bow in respect at the intimidating woman. "We have received word from Cinder. Despite the small hiccup with the White Fang and Roman Torchwick, all plans are moving in full motion."

Salem graced her follower with a pleased expression, as the news delighted her. "Very good, what about Naruto Branwen and Nora Valkyrie? Has Cinder managed any progress with breaking either of those hindrances?"

The individual shook their head. "No master she has not." The individual explained, causing Salem to frown at the news she was given. This caused the individual to trembled and quickly hold their hands up. "However, Cinder did share that Naruto Branwen and Nora Valkyrie have been fighting with their family and friends. Apparently there is a heavily strained relationship going on that can be exploited."

"Then why hasn't she exploited that weakness yet?" Salem asked in an exhausted voice, while she rose up and looked over the individual.

"I do not know master."

Salem sighed and turned her back to the individual, while her outfit started to melt into a dark substance that slowly dripped down and covered her body. She then slowly looked over her shoulder with a crimson red gaze, while a black and red bodysuit started to form onto her body.

"You know what? I'm not going to allow Cinder to ruin this opportunity." Salem declared, as she fully turned her body to the follower. "So tell that child when the time comes for our attack. I will be joining the battle to personally assure our absolute victory."

Looking up at their master with awe, the individual merely nodded their head. "I understand master, I will inform Cinder right away."

Salem smiled and reclaimed her position on her throne, while she slowly observed the craftsmanship of her new battle attire. Completely ignoring the look of her follower. "Well run along then." The woman ordered, while she didn't even bother to look back to the retreating form of her underling.

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(With Naruto and Nora)

Seated together at an outside cafe, the young duo were busy enjoying their first official date as a couple. They tried to find one of the locations they discussed during their first round match, but they couldn't find anything they liked. That was until they stumbled upon the current cafe they were at. It was a relative quite scene, regardless of their seats being right by the sidewalk of the city. Considering the only barrier from the couple and the passing by citizens was a small decorative fence.

"So." Naruto began softly, while he glanced up to Nora. "Pyrrha might become the next Fall Maiden."

Nora nodded her head and closed her eyes. "It would seem so. I don't like the idea, but there isn't a better candidate than Pyrrha. She's the best at everything she does."

"Plus she is trustworthy." Naruto added in. "That's important for the kind of power she would be given."

"That's true, but can we not talk about this?" Nora asked, while she slowly looked down at the table. "It reminds me that a dear friend is dying and my best friend could end up with the same burden as me."

"Absolutely." Naruto replied without skipping a beat. "Let's talk about the tournament. We passed the first round easy, but who shall we send into the second round? It's a two on two fight after all."

"Well I feel that's a conversation we should involve Pyrrha and Jaune with." Nora explained in a simple tone. "However, I lean towards you and Jaune advancing forward."

Naruto tilted his eyebrow in interest, as out of all the team combinations they could possibly make. The idea of Naruto and Jaune teaming up wasn't something the bandit thought of.

"Okay I'm curious, why me and Jaune?"

"Well you or I would be more than enough to end a battle without exhausting ourselves and teammates. So I was thinking if Pyrrha does take Amber's power. . ." Nora began, while taking a small second to think over her words. As mentioning Amber again caused a slight delay in her speech. "If she becomes a Maiden. I will devote as much time as possible to helping her understand what it means to be a Maiden."

Naruto nodded, as he liked Nora's reasoning. "That's a smart move and don't get me wrong Pyrrha is strong. However, with the impending attack it's risky to have an inexperienced Maiden with half her power running around."

"Exactly." Nora cut in. "We don't have time to properly train Pyrrha and we can't wait any longer to transfer the Fall Maiden's power. So we have to work with what little we have. That's why I feel my idea is the best shot we have."

"I'm with you Nora." Naruto declared, as he reached over to grab his girlfriend's hand. "You have my support no matter what you want to do."

Nora smiled at her boyfriend's words, as she never imagined she would find love like she did. Especially with a wild and dangerous boy like Naruto.

"Well let's just hope everything works and and Pyrrha even agrees to become the Fall Maiden." Nora began, while she slightly glanced to the side. "Even though part of me wishes should would decline."

Naruto smiled at his girlfriend's response, as he thought it was cute how she made a slight pouting face. "You're too adorable."

Nora blushed at Naruto's compliment and looked back to the boy with a flirting gaze. However, before Nora could speak a word the couple was surprised by a set of hands slamming onto the fence by their side. This caused Naruto and Nora both to look over to a young woman glaring a hole through Naruto's direction.

The girl was around their age with dark skin and long spiky red hair, while her amber eyes bore nothing besides anger. She was flat-chested and wore a long, short-sleeved dress with frilly edges complete with a flak jacket that bore the symbol for Shade Academy. She also had two simple yellow earrings, fishnet stockings, thigh-high boots with white soles and a forehead protector which she wore like a bandanna. Finally the girl also carried a long sword on her back.

To her side was a rather nervous looking boy. Who like the girl was dark-skinned, but had short spiky white hair and dark colored eyes. He was wearing a dark outfit consisting of an overlong shirt with a hood, with red bandage hand guards, shin guards, and a black forehead protector along with a Shade Academy flak jacket. Though he appeared nervous around the group, he never once stopped sucking on a lollipop. Lastly like his female companion, the boy carried a long sword on his back.

Naruto noticing the tension rolled his eyes and looked at the girl. "Can I fucking help you?"

The girl snarled at Naruto's blunt response. "You're him aren't you? Naruto Branwen, son of the bandit leader Raven Branwen?"

"No I'm her third cousin twice removed dipshit." Naruto replied back sarcastically, as he was slightly annoyed by the sudden interruption. "Like it matters to you anyway. So piss off i'm busy here."

The girl growled in anger, while she tightly bent the fence in her grasp. "No you are that bitches son, I saw your match earlier. Your name is clearly Naruto Branwen."

"Oh is that so?" Naruto asked with as little interest as possible. "Then why bother asking who I am? Are you dumbass and a nuisance?"

"Why you." The girl began, while the boy to her side grabbed her shoulder.

"Karui we should leave him alone. What if he gets mad and starts a fight. Then our nations go to war and thousands of people die!" The boy shouted out in worry.

Naruto and Nora both laughed at the boy's ridiculous thought process, while the now named Karui glared at her companion.

"Shut the hell up Omoi. I would love a chance to kill this bastard!" Karui yelled loudly.

Hearing the girl's declaration of wanting to kill him, Naruto finally got slightly interested in what she truly wanted.

"Oh you want to kill me now?" Naruto asked in a smug tone, while his lips curled into a smile.

Nora seeing her boyfriend sudden shift in mood sighed, they couldn't even have one date without something going wrong.

"I want to kill you and your bitch mother." Karui seethed, while her hands started to trembled. "You monsters are responsible for the death of my family."

Naruto laughed loudly and tossed his head back. "Is this really what this is?" The bandit asked loudly, while he looked straight at Nora. "This has to be a prank! Who put her up to this? Was it my sister or maybe Sun?"

Karui was about to explode and Nora saw this. "Naruto I think she is serious." The Winter Maiden admitted.

His laughter slowly dying down, Naruto glanced over to Karui with a smirk. "Are you actually serious?"

"I've dreamed about killing you for years." Karui replied without even thinking. "You heartless monster."

"Karui we should leave." Omoi began, as he saw the red glow radiate from Naruto's eyes. It was a piercing crimson gaze that haunted the boy's dreams.

"What? But that bastard is right here! Don't you want payback as well Omoi!" Karui yelled out with pure anger.

"You should listen to your friend." Nora began softly, while she looked at the enraged teenager. The latter of whom glared at Nora.

"Mind your own fucking business slut." Karui insulted, causing Naruto to slightly crack a finger in anticipation. Showing from that insult alone the bandit was about to pounce.

Nora glared at the girl with a look that managed to surprise Naruto, as he had only seen a glare like that from one other woman before. That woman being his mother, Raven Branwen.

"No fuck you." Nora declared, while she slammed her hands onto the table in front of her. "I want one damn date with my boyfriend. I don't want Atlas specialists starting a fight with us. I don't want my friends and family to fight one another. I don't want lectured by a bunch of old fools who all have their own agendas. I don't want to accept that a fiend is dying, while I can't help her. I don't want to condem my best friend to a life of misery. And I sure as fuck don't want to sit here and listen to you run your annoying mouth and ruin our date."

"You piece of sh-. . ."

"No you don't speak." Nora cut in, as she held one hand into the air. Causing the air to drop dramatically in temperature and snow to swirl around her hand. "I'm at my breaking point with everyone and you're coming dangerously close to getting on my bad side. So do yourself a favor and walk away."

Naruto looked across the table with an awestruck expression. As he didn't expect that outburst from Nora, though he did enjoy to see it happen. Karui on the other hand gave Nora a glare and held her ground. However, after a small moment the girl shrugged her shoulders and walked off.

"Let's go Omoi. We can kill that bastard during the tournament."

Naruto watched as the two Shade students walked away. He then glanced over to Nora with a large grin, seeing that she dropped her hand.

"You know I love you right?" The blond haired boy asked.

"You didn't have to entice them so much Naruto." Nora declared, while releasing a soft sigh. "But yes I know and I love you even more. Despite your supernatural ability to start a fight with almost anyone you meet."

Naruto smiled. "But we haven't fought yet!"

Nora chuckled and rolled his eyes. "For your sake let's keep it that way. Raven shared some good pointers for dealing with you."

Naruto sighed and glanced away in annoyance. "I really don't like that you and my mom get along. You're starting to act like her and that scares me."

Nora grinned and leaned forward. "I think you like it. Everyone knows you're a momma's boy after all."

'She got you.' Ren declared with a small laugh.

"Shut the fuck up Ren." Naruto groaned in anger, while Nora laughed. He then shrugged himself in a different direction and started to pout. "And I am not a momma's boy."

Nora smiled and reached out, then as she poked Naruto's nose she giggled. "Boop."

Cracking a small smile, Naruto looked over to his girlfriend. He truly loved her and he knew he would do whatever he had to do in order to protect her.

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(With Jaune and Pyrrha)

Sitting on her bed, Pyrrha was in deep thought. She had just finished speaking with Ozpin and his secret group. Where she had learned a lot about the world and even more about her best friend Nora along with Naruto. Pyrrha was also given the offer to become the next Fall Maiden, but the warrior didn't know what to do. She really just wanted to speak with Nora, but right now she couldn't. In fact the only other person that was with her currently was Jaune. Who was lucky enough to have no knowledge about what was going on. So sighing to herself, Pyrrha fell onto her back and sprawled out onto her bed. Then by looking up to the ceiling she tried to sort through her mind.

Jaune who was off to the side on his own bed noticed his partner's downward expression. He could tell the girl was slightly upset, but the team leader didn't know what to do or say. Though he knew he should at least try and do something.

"Hey Pyrrha." Jaune began nervously, while the girl rolled her head and glanced over. "We really haven't practiced in awhile. Wanna have a little training session?"

Sighing out loud Pyrrha looked away from Jaune. "I'm sorry Jaune, but I'm not up for any practice right now."

Jaune nodded sadly. "Would you like to talk about something?"

"I don't think you can help me right now Jaune." Pyrrha replied honestly.

Jaune hung his head slightly, but he remembered a conversation he had with Naruto. One where he talked about how he and Nora become so close. So looking back up with newfound determination, Jaune stood to his feet.

"You know Naruto and Nora are so close because they are always with each other. They have been through more together than any duo at this school." Jaune began confidently, causing Pyrrha to glance back over to Jaune. The latter of whom was already starting to blush. "Maybe you and I could be more like them."

Pyrrha's face turned as red as her hair. "W-what is that supposed to mean?"

"I-I mean they tell each other everything and are closer because of it. Maybe you and I could become closer." Jaune explained.

Pyrrha closed her eyes, as she did want her and Jaune to have the same relationship that Naruto and Nora had. However, the young warrior knew Jaune should be kept away from her troubles for the time being. So thinking over what to say next, Pyrrha was saved by the sudden opening of their door.

"We are back!" Nora yelled happily, while her and Naruto entered the room.

"Alcohol stash here I come." Naruto chuckled, while the blond ran over to his bed and flipped the mattress. Revealing a small pile of flasks and bottles that Naruto had hidden away.

Nora rolled her eyes, while Jaune and Pyrrha both looked up at the two. Showing that they were both on full alert in the presences of the young couple. Though Nora quickly glanced to Pyrrha and saw how troubled the girl looked. It was obvious that she had spoken with Ozpin and learned the truth about their world.

"Hey Pyrrha." Nora began in a soft voice, causing everyone in the room to glance to the girl. "Why don't me and you go have a girl's talk?"

Looking at her best friend with a confused gaze, as she was still having trouble sorting all the information she was given out. Pyrrha stood to her feet and walked towards Nora.

"Yeah we need to talk." The world renowned fighter repiled.

Jaune watched Nora nod before the two females walked towards the exit. So holding his hands outstretched, Jaune looked confused. "Guys where are you going? We have a lot to talk about with the tournament. I mean who will represent us in the two on two fight?"

Naruto slung his arm over Jaune's shoulder, while shaking a bottle of booze in the boy's face. "Why me and you are gonna team up Jaune!"

Jaune looked absolutely shocked and terrified. "What!" The leader shouted loudly. "Why me and you?"

Nora saw this reaction and smirked, she then opened the door and motioned to Pyrrha. "Come on, we can leave the boys to talk."

Pyrrha followed without question and left Naruto and Jaune alone. Causing the bandit to laugh and rough up his teammate.

"And I got a perfect team attack we can work on!" Naruto declared, while he took a large swing of alcohol. "It's called get help!"

Jaune turned pale, as he didn't know what Naruto meant. Though at this point he was too afraid to ask. "Why don't you and Nora team up instead? Or you and Pyrrha?"

Naruto laughed loudly. "So here is how get help works." The Fox Sin of Greed began, as he completely ignored Jaune.

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(On the rooftop with Nora and Pyrrha)

Walking slowly behind Nora, Pyrrha noticed that the sun was slowly setting on the first day of the Vytal Festival. She also had to admit that the view from the roof of their dorm room was quite a sight to see.

"So let's talk Pyrrha." Nora began, while she took a seat at the edge of the roof and gestured for Pyrrha to join her. Then as the redhead complied, Nora looked up into the sky and took a deep breath. "I'm sure Ozpin gave you a lot to think about."

Pyrrha nodded and twiddled her thumbs. "Is it all true? Maidens, Relic Wielders, The headmaster being a secret group fighting an evil threat. Ozpin wasn't making any of that up, even the part when he mentioned an attack on Beacon?"

Nora slightly frowned and held her palm out towards the sky. "It's frightening isn't it? Learning there is much more to this world. Learning there is someone who makes the creatures of Grimm look like house pets. I'm sure Ozpin has told you that I've been living this nightmare my entire life." The girl finished, while she clenched her fist against the setting sun.

"He said you were the Winter Maiden and he wants me- . . ."

"He wants you to take Amber's power and become the Fall Maiden." Nora finished, helping her friend find her words.

"Yeah he does." Pyrrha replied softly.

The two girls then fell into a soft silence, as neither spoke a word. Though after a moment of not speaking, Nora let a small smile pass her lips.

"You know, this is where I first told Naruto about what I was." Nora revealed, shocking her best friend with that revelation. "It's almost fitting that me and you have this conversation here as well."

"I always knew you and Naruto were closer than most, but after what I've learned. Now it brings the two of you into a whole new perspective." Pyrrha admitted.

"Me and him have been through more than I first imagined. However, we are here to talk about you. Not me and my boyfriend." Nora explained softly, while placing a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. "So tell me what you're thinking."

Pyrrha looked down with a blank expression. "When I was younger I never had anyone, as I was an orphan. Regardless I made something out of myself from fighting in tournaments and becoming a prize fighter. I always wondered if destiny had some grand plan for me, if I was born for greatness. However, ancient magic based around the four seasons, a woman who controls the Grimm and powerful Relics. These are things I never wanted or envisioned."

Nora nodded. "I understand Pyrrha, more so than anyone. I was born with the burden of being a Maiden and had no choice. However, I've grown to appreciate what I am. Sure I'm always in the crosshairs of Salem. Plus my parents and Ren were murdered by her. Still I don't regret being born a Maiden. It's a life that has given me the love of my life, a family to protect and a best friend that I would die for."

Pyrrha smiled and glanced over to Nora, as she really did love and appreciate her best friend. "Thank you Nora, but I'm still so lost in all this. I just don't know what to do. If I take the power I will be a target for that Salem woman. Along with everyone I know and care about, so I would be placing my friends in danger not just myself. And if I don't take the power she will get the Fall Maiden's power anyway."

"I can't tell you how to live your life Pyrrha." Nora began, while the Winter Maiden made a small ice shared in her hand. "What I can say is that I'll support you and if you don't feel safe at Beacon. Well you could always leave with me and Naruto." Nora declared with a small giggle, while Pyrrha's eyes grew wide.

"L-leave Beacon?" Pyrrha asked in a stunned voice. "With you two?"

Nora nodded with a large grin. "You know what I'm not gonna say anything else besides this. You know the truth now and have a choice. Either run away and don't get involved. Or be the woman I know you are and become the next Fall Maiden. Then once everything settles down here at Beacon, leave with me and Naruto for Raven's tribe."

"You want me to take the power and become a bandit?" Pyrrha asked.

Nora winked at her friend and stood to her feet. "I'm not tell you anything. I'm just saying if you're afraid of protecting yourself and others. The Branwen Tribe, along with me and Naruto have your back."

Pyrrha smiled and stood to her feet and quickly wrapped herself around Nora and hugged the girl.

"Thank you." Pyrrha began, as the girl had a slow build up of tears.

Nora grinned and accepted the hug. "I'm here for you Pyrrha. Anything you wanna talk about. I'll help you sort this mess out and decide what you wanna do."

Pyrrha tightened her hold on Nora. "I think I know what I want to do."

(Chapter end)

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And here is the next chapter! Tell me what y'all thought about it!

Quick notes.

I added Karui and Omoi for the 2v2 fights and gave them a backstory to spice things up for this Volume.

I purposely didn't reveal anything about Salem's "follower" as that person is someone I'm not revealing yet.

Some have asked me when is Yang gonna stop being jealous and move on. Well she will eventually, I'm currently giving her some good ole character development that will carry over into my Volume 4 plans.

Anyways thanks for reading a see you next time!


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18. All Hell Breaks Loose

The arena was in an uproar of cheers, as another match had just finished. The tournament was currently in the duo rounds and the team of Mercury and Emerald had defeated Coco and Yatsuhashi of Team CFVY. Up above in the stands, Yang and the rest of Team RWBY watched with saddened expressions.

The girls had managed to win their duo match thanks to Weiss and Yang. So they were disappointed to see their seniors of Beacon Academy lose. Especially since none of the girls really saw the fight play out.

"Man I can't believe Coco and Yatsuhashi lost." Yang declared, while she watched Mercury and Emerald leave the stadium. "I thought they would make it to the finals for sure."

Weiss nodded her head. "I wonder what happened." The wealthy teenager asked. "I really didn't see any of the action."

"None of us did." Blake commented, as she focused hard on Coco and Yatsuhashi being carried off on stretchers. "Are Mercury and Emerald that strong?"

"Like it matters how strong they are." Ruby spoke up, while everyone glanced over to the girl. "Don't forget Naruto manhandled Mercury. We already know who is winning this tournament."

Yang huffed and crossed her arms. "Please they still haven't won their second round match. So nothing is set in stone."

"Oh trust me sister." Naruto spoke up, as his confident voice made all the girls shudder and look back. Giving Team RWBY clear vision of Naruto and Jaune, both of whom were standing behind the girls. "Me and Jaune are gonna win our match with ease."

Yang narrowed her gaze at Naruto, while Weiss was grinding her teeth in anger.

"You have some nerve to come near me Branwen." Weiss began, while she stood to her feet. "You almost seriously hurt my sister."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Key word is almost." The bandit shot back without any sincerity. "If I wanted to seriously hurt or kill your sister I would have. So shut up and sit down."

Weiss looked ready to jump at the boy, but seeing Naruto wasn't intimidated in the slightest. The prideful girl took her seat and looked away. Ruby seeing her older brother smiled and happily bounced in place.

"I'm so excited to see you kick some butt Naruto!" The youngest of the group declared, while glancing to Jaune. "And I'll cheer you on too Jaune!"

"Geh thanks." Jaune spoke with little enthusiasm.

Naruto laughed and slung an arm over Jaune's shoulder. "Oh perk up Jaune. Me and you are gonna have a blast!"

Yang huffed. "Where is the rest of your team?"

"Well Nora and Pyrrha had some unfinished business. That's why me and Jaune are teaming up." Naruto explained, while he looked up to a large screen. Noticing he and Jaune were both being displayed for everyone to see. "And what do you know. Looks like we are up next!"

Jaune hung his head. "But who is our opponents?"

Everyone looked up to see the names of Omoi and Karui flash by. Causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow with interest, as he clearly remembered the two from his earlier encounter.

"Those two huh? This should be entertaining at least." Naruto mumbled with a small amount of laughter in his voice.

Ruby tilted her head. "Do you know those two?"

"They threatened to kill me the other day." Naruto replied casually. "Something about their families being killed by the Branwen tribe. Like I care."

Jaune looked at Naruto with a gaping mouth. "So they are out to kill us?"

"No idiot." Naruto insulted, while slapping the boy's back. "They are out to kill me and they are welcome to try!"

"Naruto shouldn't you be more worried?" Ruby asked in a low voice, showing she was nervous for her older sibling.

Naruto scoffed. "As if. Not a single person in this stadium could take me in a fight. So I'll definitely be seeing one of you in the finals." The bandit declared, while looking at Yang and Weiss.

"I'll be the one you'll have to deal with then." Yang declared, revealing she would be the one representing her team in the finals.

Naruto grinned ear to ear. "I'll be looking forward to that then." The blond admitted, while taking a step forward. "But let's go Jaune. We have a match to win and a new team attack to show of!"

"This is gonna be so degrading." Jaune whined, as he followed after his teammate.

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(With Nora and Pyrrha)

While Naruto and Jaune were both preparing for their match, the two girls of Team JNNP were standing before the Fall Maiden. Nora had her arms crossed and appeared to be in a sour mood. Pyrrha on the other hand looked defeated and in a trance like state. Meanwhile the only other person in the room being Ozpin was looking down with a neutral expression.

"Explain that again Ozpin." Nora began in an angered voice, while the Winter Maiden glared at the man. "I don't think I heard you correctly."

Ozpin sighed, as Nora and Pyrrha had come down with the intentions of making Pyrrha the next Fall Maiden. However, there was complications with the process that the headmaster was just now sharing with the girls. Complications that left Pyrrha conflicted and Nora enraged.

"We can in theory give Pyrrha the remaining portions of Amber's power. Unfortunately her aura and abilities are intertwined and cannot be separated. So if Pyrrha was to have the Fall Maiden's powers transferred into her body, she would also receive Amber's aura." Ozpin explained in a dry voice.

Nora tightened her fists. "And You didn't think this was important to mention when you told Pyrrha about becoming the Fall Maiden? Or when you proposed the idea to me and Naruto months ago?"

"We were exploring our options at the time and I was hoping this wouldn't have to happen. Yes I should have informed Pyrrha of the other risks involved, but General Ironwood along with myself have been working on alternative methods to transfer the power." Ozpin explained, while he glanced to Pyrrha with sorrow covering his face. "However, we are running out of time and the stakes keep going up. If we don't transfer the power to a new host Salem will have the Fall Maiden's power in her grasp."

Pyrrha bit her lip. "What would happen to me if I did take in Amber's aura."

Ozpin shook his head. "I don't know. Something like this has never been done before. It could do nothing or completely change who you are."

"We will find a different way then!" Nora declared loudly. "All we have to do is separate Amber's aura from her abilities."

"That's impossible with the technology we have." Ozpin explained sadly.

"So we have no other options." Pyrrha mumbled in a defeated voice. "I'll have to take the risks."

"No to hell with that." Nora yelled loudly, while she grabbed her scroll. "I'll get ahold of the Spring Maiden. I'm sure there is another way."

Ozpin sighed softly. "Call Spring and see what you can. Until then you should think over if they is what you really want Pyrrha. Let's not rush into anything."

Pyrrha nodded and looked to Nora, the latter of whom gave her friend a confident gaze.

"I'll find a way to make this work Pyrrha." The Winter Maiden declared. "Don't you worry."

"Thank you Nora." The redhead warrior replied. Though as Nora went back to her scroll, Pyrrha couldn't help from having a sense of depression sweep over her. As once again she was back to being lost without any idea of what to do.

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(With Naruto and Jaune)

Standing off against their opponents, Naruto was practically bouncing with excitement. Meanwhile Jaune was rather nervous, as he noticed the cold and serious expressions of their opponents. Karui looked like she was ready to hack them into pieces, while Omoi didn't look like any slouch either.

"Man aren't you two some unlucky bastards." Naruto taunted, while the blond watched Karui smirk and draw her sword.

"Unlucky? What are you talking about?" Karui asked with excitement in her voice. "I finally have my chance to kill you."

"Is everyone ready for the next match?" The voice of Taiyang yelled through the speaker system. Causing the stadium to erupt into a loud roar of cheers.

Naruto grinned and glanced over to his teammate. "Get help?"

Jaune shook his head in response. "Can we not? I could take a nap and you'd still beat those two. Get help is embarrassing and this fight is broadcasted across all the kingdoms."

Naruto laughed and clamped a hand onto Jaune's shoulder. Then by squeezing tightly, Naruto rocked the boy side to side. "We are doing get help."

"Are all the fighters ready?" Taiyang yelled, while taking a pause.

Karui and Omoi both struck fighting stances, showing they were both ready to fight. Jaune on the other hand was practically begging Naruto to reconsider his plan.

"Please?" The leader asked in desperation.

"Get help." Naruto replied with a large eye smile, causing Jaune to hang his head in defeat.

"Fine."

"Begin!" Taiyang yelled with vigor, forcing Karui and Omoi to sprint forward. However, before they could make it two feet. Jaune suddenly clutched his chest and started to shake, before his convulsions forced him to fall over.

Reacting to his teammates collapse, Naruto bent down and frantically held onto the boy. "My teammate is having a seizure! Somebody get help!" Naruto cried, while he slowly gripped onto the back of Jaune's clothing. "Please my friend is dying get help!"

Karui and Omoi stopped in their tracks, they wanted to hurt Naruto. Though they had no grudge with Jaune, so out of common decency they stopped their approach. The crowd seeing this was absolutely silent, as not a single person watching expected this sudden outcome.

Up above Team RWBY was a mess. Ruby had her hands over her mouth in shock, while Yang and Blake were about to run down and help their friend. Lastly Weiss looked at the boy with sadness, as she felt some pity for the boy who had a crush on her.

Naruto seeing the reactions of the stadium grinned wide. Then without any warning he hurled Jaune into Karui and Omoi. Next as the two were knocked back by Jaune, Naruto shot forward at insane speeds. Then as Naruto arrived by his opponents he punched Karui hard in the face, shattering the girl's aura and sending her out of the ring unconscious. He then spun around on his heel and kicked Omoi hard in the side. Shattering his aura and ribs, while also sending the boy flying out of the ring. Finally, Jaune landed onto the hard ground and the Fox Sin of Greed stood by his friend victoriously.

"Told ya it would work." Naruto declared before holding a hand out to Jaune. "It's a classic."

"It's humiliating." Jaune pointed out, as he was hoisted to his feet.

Naruto laughed. "No, well for me it's not."

The silent stadium remained quite for a few moments, as everyone was trying to process what had happened. Then as the screens declared Naruto and Jaune the winners. The stadium started to boo and throw trash at the two teenagers.

"Are you kidding me!" Weiss yelled in anger, as she was blood red. "I can't believe I was worried about that idiot!"

"You and me both." Blake chimed in.

"At least he is okay." Ruby pointed out, as she was trying to be positive in the situation.

"He won't be if I get my hands on him." Yang admitted, while she and the rest of Team RWBY watched slowly, as Naruto and Jaune left the fighting area.

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(With Naruto and Jaune)

Leaving the arena, Naruto and Jaune were silently sneaking off. As the team leader wanted to avoid the enraged spectators, who were upset by the stunt they pulled. Though Naruto didn't care for the hate, he was just sick of fighting people. So to avoid more annoying scuffles, he decided leaving the stadium was the best course of action.

"I told you get help was a bad idea." Jaune whined, as he and Naruto walked down a path to their dorm.

Naruto blew out some air. "No, you said it was embarrassing and degrading." The bandit pointed out. "Get help was a great idea by the way. We won our match in record time."

Jaune sighed and slouched over. "And all of Remnant hates us from pulling an underhanded tactic."

Naruto grabbed his flask and shrugged his shoulders. "It's their fault for falling for it in the first place. If I were them I would have attacked anyway. Mercy is for the weak and the weak die."

"So you say." Jaune replied in a low voice.

"Naruto, Jaune!" The chipper voice of Nora yelled loudly.

Looking forward, Naruto and Jaune were both happy to see their partners walking their way. Nora was in her usual upbeat and cheery mood. Though Naruto and Jaune both noticed Pyrrha did seem rather down and depressed.

"Hey- . . ." Naruto began, but was silenced once Nora jumped into her partner. Forcing the Branwen to wrap his arms around Nora to hold her up, while her upper body hugged closely to Naruto's face.

"Hehe, did you win?" Nora asked in a cheery voice, while she slung her arms over Naruto's neck and hung off the teenager.

Winking at his girlfriend, Naruto nodded. "You know it."

Nora leaned in and kissed her boyfriend. "That's my boy."

Pyrrha watched this scene for a moment before walking off. An action that Jaune quickly noticed.

"Pyrrha where are you going?" Jaune called out, while he followed after his partner.

Naruto and Nora watched the two walk off and the latter merely sighed to herself. Naruto on the other hand kept a calm and calculated face.

"I'm guessing things didn't go so well for you." The red eyed bandit began, while Nora simply nodded.

"There was some complications." Nora replied in a bitter tone. "Needless to say, Pyrrha didn't get the Fall Maiden's power."

"Why not?"

Nora sighed again. "Ozpin forgot to mention to transfer the power you need to transfer the aura of the Maiden as well. A process that could have a number of possible effects on Pyrrha. So it's made her rethink becoming the Fall Maiden."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Of course Ozpin would wait till the last minute to share that information. What about alternatives, maybe mom had an idea for what to do."

Nora shook her head sadly. "I already thought of that and contacted Raven." The orange haired girl explained. "She has no idea how to properly separate the Fall Maiden power from Amber's aura."

Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration. "Then what are we going to do? You know as well as I do, there isn't much time left to act."

"I know, but we can't force Pyrrha to take the risk." Nora shot back.

"And we can't let Salem get the rest of the Fall Maiden's power." Naruto added in.

"Do we find a replacement for Pyrrha? Just in case she finally decides to back out?" Nora asked, while Naruto pondered over the idea.

"I don't think we have time. We would need someone strong like Pyrrha who could protect herself from Salem and her forces. Then that person also needs to be trustworthy enough to be given the Fall Maiden power." Naruto pointed out in a matter of fact voice. "Honestly the best course of action is to convince Pyrrha to take the risk."

Nora sighed and looked down, as she didn't like the idea of forcing the choice onto Pyrrha. "You make some good points, but when should we have this talk with Pyrrha?"

Naruto grabbed his scroll and glanced at the schedule for the tournament. "The singles round will be starting in thirty minutes. I say we give Pyrrha the rest of the day to think. Then after I have my one on one fight, then me and you can approach her for a final decision."

Nora nodded with a smile. "I like that plan."

Naruto grinned and extended a hand to his girlfriend, which Nora took. "Well why don't we go find Pyrrha and Jaune. We can enjoy the finals together as a team."

While Naruto and Nora were both setting out to find their teammates. Jaune and Pyrrha were both sitting against a wall in silence, as Jaune had managed to catch up with Pyrrha. However, the team leader didn't know what to say. So the two merely sat in silence, waiting for the other to speak.

Glancing to Pyrrha, Jaune frowned softly as he didn't like the defeated look of the proud warrior.

"You know Pyrrha." Jaune began in a low voice, while Pyrrha slowly looked over to the young leader. "You were the first person to believe in me. Not my parents, sisters or even Naruto and Nora."

"Jaune I don't know what to sa-. . ." Pyrrha began, but stopped once Jaune rested his hand overtop her own.

"You've always been there for me. Even when at times I didn't deserve it and I can tell something is wrong. So how can I help?" Jaune asked kindly, while the faintest of smiles broke through Pyrrha's sadness.

"You're already helping." The girl declared, as she slowly rested her head onto Jaune's shoulder. Then for a moment, Pyrrha closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. Though the brief moment of bliss was simply that, brief. "Jaune do you believe in destiny?"

Jaune watched as Pyrrha leaned away and looked to him for answers. "Well destiny is never something I've really thought about." The team leader explained in a matter of fact voice. "I mean- . . ."

"Destiny is bull shit." The voice of Naruto declared in a crude tone.

Looking to the side, Jaune and Pyrrha both were surprised to find their teammate. Who had Nora by his side. The latter of whom was tugging onto Naruto and trying to drag him away from the conversation.

"Don't ruin this moment Naruto!" Nora hissed in a low voice.

Naruto rolled his eyes and didn't budge, instead he locked eyes with Pyrrha. "I was told my entire life I would be a no good bandit that would bring misfortune to everyone around me. But did I sulk around?" The young bandit asked, while he walked closer and dragged Nora along with him. "The answer is no. I said to hell with everything and carved a new path for myself. I made my own choices that have placed me where I am today. So stand tall and don't let this shit beat you down Pyrrha. You've made your own destiny since you were little. So keep moving forward and never stop."

Giving up on getting Naruto to leave their teammates alone, Nora grinned and took a seat by Pyrrha. "Take it from me Pyrrha, Naruto isn't the most sincere person. However, for an alcoholic he is pretty smart. Don't forget no matter what happens, the three of us have your back. We will always make sure no matter what you will always be the Pyrrha we love."

Jaune smiled, he didn't know what was going on. Though he still wanted to support Pyrrha no matter what. "You're damn right about that!" The team leader declared. "No matter what Team JNNP will stick together!"

Naruto placed his hands in his pockets, while he stood by his three friends. "Heh idiot."

A tear trailed down Pyrrha's face, while she extended her arms out and held onto Nora and Jaune. "I love you guys." The girl declared with a small smile.

Nora nuzzled into her best friend. "We love you too. And later we can finish the conversation we had earlier."

Pyrrha nodded even though she already was leaning towards a certain direction.

Naruto smirked and held his scroll out. "The next round matches are starting. You guys wanna go watch some more fights?"

The other three members of Team JNNP nodded their heads in agreement. Then as they all stood to their feet, the four walked to the stadium together.

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(With Ruby)

Ruby had a nervous expression overcasted her face, while the young girl was seated by her teammates Blake and Weiss. Down below her older sister Yang was slowly squaring up against her opponent for the the one on one round. Said opponent being none other than the shady and rude Mercury Black.

"I hope Yang can win." The youngest of the girls declared in a soft voice, while she kept her focus on Yang.

Blake nodded with a blank expression. "Yang will be fine Ruby. We all know how strong she is."

"And we also know Mercury isn't unbeatable." Weiss added in before huffing loudly. "After all your despicable brother proved that fairly easy."

"Just because I beat that bitch into the ground doesn't mean shit." The voice of Naruto declared loudly, causing each girl to glance over their backs. Discovering that all the members of Team JNNP were taking the empty seats behind them. "I'm stronger than Yang and Mercury it's simple. There is no comparing me to either of those two. So with that being said this might be a closer match than what you may expect."

Weiss glared at the red eyed boy before jerking her body away. "I didn't ask for your input Branwen."

Naruto rolled his eyes and was about to say something, but he was cut off by Nora.

"Naruto does make a good point. After all I heard what Mercury and Emerald did to Coco and Yatsuhashi. Yang better be careful." The Winter Maiden declared in a matter of fact tone.

Ruby hung her head, as she knew her sister was brash and careless. So she could get in over her head during the match. Naruto saw this and patted his younger sibling on the shoulder.

"However, despite everything Yang is my twin and the two of us share a special connection. Because of that I know she will come out on top." Naruto declared with a large grin.

Ruby nodded her head. "Yeah you're right!"

Nora smiled at her boyfriend, as she saw his attempt to lift the youngest of the group up. It was little moments like this that remained her why she loved him.

"Naruto is right, but we should still cheer extra loud for Yang." Nora declared with a grin, showing to the group she was trying to push everything that had happened in the last few weeks behind them. "Since no matter what we are all still friends!"

Weiss and Blake both looked at Nora with surprised expressions, not expecting the girl to say what she did. Pyrrha on the other hand smiled at her best friend and cupped her hands onto her mouth.

"Let's go Yang!" The redhead of Team JNNP yelled loudly.

Seeing Pyrrha cheer, Jaune and Nora joined in. This of course caused their infectious positivity to spread over to Team RWBY.

"Yeah kick some butt big sis!" Ruby cheered, while the youngest of the group pumped her hands into the air.

"Represent Team RWBY and win Yang!" Weiss screamed with a large smile.

"Do your best!" Blake called out.

"Go Yang!" Jaune yelled with a booming voice.

"If you lose I'll kick your ass!" Naruto began, while everyone present looked to the boy with a glare. Though their glares only lasted for a second before they started to cheer once more.

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(With Yang)

Bouncing on her heels, Yang quickly tossed a quick flurry of punches into the air. Then as she smiled the fiery blond slammed her fists together and grinned.

"You ready to go down?" Yang asked, while her eyes focused on the calm and composed Mercury.

Scoffing to himself, Mercury relaxed backwards and held to fists up into the air. Showing that he was ready for their fight.

"Save the tough talk blondie and get ready." Mercury began, while the boy slightly glanced up into the stands. Noticing his teammate Emerald watching from up above. Then once he saw the girl nod, Mercury chuckled and placed his attention back to Yang. "Because you're in for the shock of your life."

Yang huffed and wasn't intimidated by Mercury in the slightest. To her the boy was just a roadblock that she needed to plow right through.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen!" Taiyang yelled loudly into the intercom. "Today we have one hell of a match for you!"

"That's right Taiyang, I can tell everyone in the arena is looking forward to this one!" Dr. Oobleck commentated. "As the first match of the singles round always gets the people going!"

"Right you are Bartholomew and I speak for the people when I say this match is going to be one for the books!" Taiyang yelled loudly, while the stadium began to grow louder and more anticipated. "It's a true spectacle between rival Academy's. Everyone it's Beacon's very own Yang Xiao Long vs Haven's Mercury Black!"

Down below Yang slightly grinned once her father announced her. Meanwhile Mercury scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Are both fighters ready?" Dr. Oobleck asked loudly, while both fighters simply nodded their head and looked each other down. "Than begin!"

With the go being given, both Mercury and Yang ran forward at their fastest speeds possible. Then the moment the two met in the center is when they made their move. Yang started off by sending a direct and powerful punch aimed for Mercury's head. This caused Mercury to retaliate by lifting his leg and blocking the girl's attack by kicking her fist to the side.

Yang gritted her teeth and jumped backwards, creating some distance between herself and Mercury. Then by cocking her gauntlets with a loud ka-chunk, Yang blasted the ground with her weapon and propelled herself at Mercury. The latter of whom prepared himself and engaged Yang in a fierce trade off of kicks and punches.

Up above Team JNNP and Team RWBY all watched the fight with different expressions. Ruby was nervously fiddling with her skirt, while he silver eyes analyzed and followed every move the two made.

"Come on big sis, you got this." Ruby mumbled in a low voice, while she watched Yang finally land a solid hit onto Mercury.

Blake smiled softly, as she saw that her partner was finally starting to take some control in the fight. Though just as quickly as she started to get control of the fight, Mercury started to make his comeback. Doing so by kicking the girl in the side and knocking Yang back.

"Don't give up Yang!" Blake yelled, showing her support for her partner.

Weiss was pumping her fists into the air, while she watched Yang run back at Mercury. Then as the two started to trade blows once more she jumped to her feet. "Punch that cocky smirk right off his face!"

Much like Ruby, Jaune watched the fight with a nervous expression. Considering with each movement that was made the fight would tip back in fourth in the favor of either Yang or Mercury. Allowing the leader of Team JNNP to identify neither teen had full advantage over the other.

"Do you guys think Yang can win?" Jaune asked, while he glanced over to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha folded her arms, while she watched every punch that Yang threw at Mercury. Taking note that Yang's fighting style was wild and grew more messy and flawed with every second that passed. Meanwhile Mercury remained calm and collected, but for some reason never pushed any real openings that Pyrrha saw that could have been taken.

"I don't know." Pyrrha began in a low voice, while she watched Yang finally land a solid punch onto Mercury's face. "They are almost even, but Yang has a bad habit of losing her composure and relying on her Semblance."

Nora nodded, while the Winter Maiden noticed Yang's eyes were burning a deep shade of red. "Yeah she does rely heavily on her Semblance and that could come to be her undoing one day." Nora explained, but smiled as she watched Yang rush Mercury and pummel the cocky boy into the ground. "Though today doesn't look like that day."

Naruto smirked and looked down at his twin, her eyes were shifting back to their original color and she was turning her body away from Mercury. "Mercury is just lucky he got the nicer twin. I would have beat him half to death or broken a couple bones for fun." The oldest of the siblings began, but lifted his brow in interest when he saw his twin quickly turn to Mercury.

Then to the shock of Naruto and everyone watching, Yang bent over Mercury and punched the boy so hard in the leg a loud crunching sound was heard throughout the now silent arena.

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(Team JNNP's Dorm)

It was some time after Yang's fight with Mercury and the aftermath of the match wasn't good. Yang and the rest of Team RWBY had been disqualified for attacking a clearly defeated and downed student. Mercury had also been taken off the premise in a stretcher, as Yang and completely immobilized the boy's leg.

This left Team JNNP alone in their dorm with nothing to do besides ponder over what had happened.

"I don't like this." Naruto mumbled, while the red eyed boy paced the room. "Something isn't right I can feel it."

Jaune who was sitting on his bed frowned. "I don't know why Yang would do something like that. It's so out of character for her. I mean you would do it, but not Yang."

Nora nodded her head and crossed her arms. "Do you think the stress of the Vytal Festival and everything else going on with Yang finally got to her?"

Naruto kept pacing the room, while he slowly messed his hair around in aggravation. "No attacking and finishing a beaten enemy is something I or Mom would do, not Yang. I know my sister and I can feel something is up." Naruto declared, while he tapped on his chest. "I can't explain it, but I just know."

Pyrrha smiled at the blond haired Branwen. "Well you're twins. You two are more connected than you might think."

"I agree." Nora chimed in.

Naruto looked to Pyrrha and grabbed his scroll. "They should be in their dorm by now. Message me when it's time for my match. I'm going to go talk to my sister." Naruto explained, while he quickly rushed out of the room and crossed the hall to Team RWBY's dorm.

Nora smiled as she watched Naruto leave, as she really admired how much he truly cared for his friends and family. Even though at times he didn't always show that love.

Though speaking of Naruto, the blond quickly kicked open the door to Team RWBY's dorm. Allowing the brash boy to see the entirety of Team RWBY, who were currently giving their full attention to Naruto.

"Naruto what are you doing?" Ruby asked with a large amount of confusion, while she was seated right beside Yang.

Naruto looked around the room, noticing Weiss was giving him a scowl. Blake seemed depressed and her Faunus ears were slightly dropped. Meanwhile Yang just looked defeated and not her usual self. A sight they really struck a nerve with Naruto.

"I'm here to check on my sister and figure out what the hell happened." Naruto declared in a plain voice, while he slowly closed the door to the room. Then by walking further into the room Naruto crossed his arms and looked right at Yang. "So tell me what happened out there."

Yang looked up to her twin, but she quickly jerked her head to the side and frowned. "It doesn't matter, you won't believe me either. You'll just say I'm insane like Dad or Uncle Qrow."

Naruto sighed and walked over to Yang before taking a knee. Then by lifting up his right hand, Naruto grasped a firm hand onto Yang's shoulder.

"Please talk to me." Naruto begged in a low voice. "I'm here to listen, not argue."

Yang bit her lip and glanced to he brother, seeing an uncharacteristic glimpse of sympathy within his red eyes. So sighing to herself, Yang decided to open up to her twin.

"It all happened so fast." Yang began in a low voice, while Naruto listened closely. "One moment I was fighting Mercury and winning. Then when I finally had him beat he rushed me. . . I attacked out of self defense."

"But he never attacked you." Naruto mumbled in a low voice, while his mind began to think.

"I saw him attack me." Yang replied firmly, while Naruto saw the emotion behind his sister's expression.

"And I believe you." Naruto began with a small smile, surprising Yang and everyone else within the room.

"Just like that?" Yang asked.

Naruto laughed and lightly punched Yang's arm. "You're my twin sister Yang and because of that we share a special bond. So I can easily tell you're telling the truth and you did see Mercury attack you."

Yang let a small smile slowly force itself pass her lips, while a lone tear started to build up around the corner of her eye.

"Thank you." Yang began in a soft voice, while she shamefully hanged her head. "Thank you for believing me. Even though these last few weeks I've been awful to you."

Naruto stood to his feet and ruffled Yang's hair. "You might not always understand or approve of what I do. You may also hate me for the secrets that I along with Nora keep. However, I promise everything I have done and will do is for the sake and protection of those I love."

Weiss, Blake and Ruby all smiled at the blond for different reasons. Showing that the small tension between Team RWBY and Naruto was starting to slowly fade away.

"You're the best big bro!" Ruby boldly declared, while she jumped upward and hugged the older boy.

Naruto laughed and patted the girl. "I just simply look out for my little sisters and their best interests."

Suddenly a second body wrapped and the red eyed boy. This caused Naruto to glance down to Yang, who was holding on tightly to her elder brother. Naruto simply smiled at this and placed both his arms around his sisters.

"We love you." Yang and Ruby declared in a soft voice.

"Yeah I know kiddos." Naruto replied in a low voice, while he backed away and looked the girl's over. "And I love you both, but I still have questions. Like what happened to Mercury after Yang assaulted him? I would like to talk to him. . . In person."

Ruby saw the dangerous gleam that burned in her brother's eyes. "He went back to Mistral along with his team." Ruby explained.

Naruto frowned. "I see, that is unfortunate."

"Don't worry about him or what happened." Yang suddenly declared, while she looked at her twin with a burning passion. "You focus on your match Naruto! You're Beacons only hope to win big!"

Naruto laughed at his twin and shook his head. "I'm not worried about anyone beating me." The eldest of the siblings admitted, while his mind drifted to one thing he did worry about. That of course being Salem's eventual attack, which has had no signs to signal any invasion so far. Meaning if their wa. "The only thing I worry about is you guys. So do me a favor and watch out for each other." Naruto then glanced behind his shoulder to Weiss and Blake. "The same goes for you two."

Everyone seemed oddly confused by Naruto's strange request. Since asking something like taking care of eachother wasn't a request Naruto actually made before. Then things got further strange with the way Naruto and Nora have been acting. Even furthermore their relationship with Ozpin and the secrets they have added more confusion. Finally their was the simple fact that no present danger surrounded the girl's, so they really didn't know what brought forth Naruto's request.

Unfortunately before anyone could question Naruto, a knock was made at their door.

"Naruto." The voice of Pyrrha called from the other side. "It's time for your match."

Hearing his friend Naruto sighed and turned to the door. "Well we can talk later." Naruto began, as he slowly made his way to the door of the dorm.

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(Within the arena)

Slowly walking down a long hallway, which was a path to the fighting platform. Naruto was fully dressed and ready for combat. Though his mind wasn't exactly in the right place, this was something that Ren had managed to take note of.

"Is something bothering you Naruto?" Ren asked, while the blond saw the exit and a large blinding light coming from the fighting area.

"Just thinking about things." Naruto admitted to the soul trapped within his body. "If Salem really is going to attack it's going to be soon. Meanwhile, Pyrrha hasn't committed to becoming the Fall Maiden and I don't even know if we are ready for Salem's attack."

Ren chuckled within his friend's head. "You'll be ready Naruto. For the sake of everyone you have to be."

Naruto slowly emerged out of the tunnel and into the spotlight of the stadium lights. While the loud roar of cheering spectators placed all their attention onto him. "Yeah I know." The blond mumbled in a sad voice, while he walked into the center of the fighting platform.

"Ladies and gentlemen from Beacon Academy, I give you the Fox Sin of Greed; Naruto Branwen!" The voice of Taiyang announced with a loud sense of pride and vigor.

Naruto smiled and looked up to the commenting booth, were his father was currently seated and pointing directly at him. Then for a brief moment the father and son shared a moment and Taiyang flashed his son a quickly thumbs up. Displaying the man placed all his support behind his son, despite being an announcer that had to keep a neutral bias.

"Heh, Nora must have told the old man to call me that." Naruto mumbled with a soft smile, while he looked over to the stands. Where he found the love of his life jumping up and down in excitement.

"Kick some ass Naruto!" Nora yelled loudly, while the rest of Team JNNP cheered with them.

"Go Naruto!" Pyrrha yelled, while she waved at the blond.

"Show everyone the power of Team JNNP!" Jaune yelled loudly.

Naruto smiled at his team, but was slightly sad to see a lack of Team RWBY. Yang was condemned to her room, so she couldn't see the fight. Meanwhile Blake and Weiss were off doing who knows what. Though it was odd for Ruby to not be among the crowd, especially considering who his opponent was.

"Salutations Naruto Branwen." The voice of his opponent greeted, causing Naruto to look down to his sister's friend from Atlas, Penny. "I'm looking forward to see why you're called Beacon's strongest student!"

Naruto squared up to Penny and drew Fox Flower. "You know this is the first time I've drawn my blade during this whole festival. That should give you an idea of what I can do."

Penny motioned her hand and swords began to float around her. "Well your girlfriend carried you through your first match. And then you used an underhanded tactic to win your second match." Penny pointed out in a happy voice, managing to be kind and counter the idea of Naruto being strong.

"Whatever." Naruto mumbled, while he slowly prepared to strike.

"Fighters get ready!" Taiyang began, while he let a slow tension build in the air. Cashing Penny to slightly hunch herself over in anticipation for the match to begin. "And start!"

Without any hesitation Penny sent a flurry of swords right for Naruto. The latter of whom brought up his own sword and casually deflected each blade with speed and precision. Then by rushing forward Naruto engaged Penny in close combat. This forced the girl to bring her swords close to her body, while using the sheer number to protect herself from Naruto's insane speed and power.

Unfortunately Penny found it rather difficult to keep up with Naruto. So taking a leap backwards she tried to create some distance between herself and Naruto. Then once she managed to do so, Penny held her swords above her head and they began to spin.

"Just give up kid, you're Ruby's friend. I don't want to hurt you." Naruto began, but his eyes grew wide when green lasers started to fire out of Penny's swords. "Fucking lasers! She has fucking lasers!" The red eyed boy yelled loudly, while he started to jump and dodge all of Penny's attacks.

Though as Naruto dodge the lasers, Penny also sent a few more of her swords to further pressure Naruto. This caused the blond to jump around the platform, while using Fox Flower to protect himself by swatting the swords away.

"Okay forget being nice." Naruto groaned, while he kept his eyes on Penny. "I'm kicking your ass good!"

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(With Ruby)

Ruby had a confused expression covering her face, as she was currently in one of the back access tunnels of the arena. One that was off limits for most of the general population, due to this passageway being reserved for the fighters. However, her confusion was stemmed from the appearance of Mercury Black. The latter of whom was staring her down with a cocky smirk, while his supposed injured leg was perfectly fine.

"M-mercury?" Ruby stuttered, while she watched the silver haired boy slowly move in her direction. "What are you doing here?"

Mercury grinned and struck a small fighting position. "Just here to see a fight." The boy answered, while the loud roar of the crowd was heard through the walls. "And it's going to be an interesting one to say the least. I mean a ruthless and heartless killing machine vs a small fragile girl from Atlas. It would be a shame if Naruto would snap like his sister. . . He might kill someone."

Ruby's eyes grew wide, as she tried to shuffle around Mercury. Though the boy simply blocked her path.

"You set Yang up." Ruby mumbled in a low voice, while she gripped her fists. "And you're planning to do the same to my brother."

"Well it wasn't all me, but you're close." Mercury replied in an amused voice. "But enough chit chat, let's have a little fun!"

Ruby's eyes grew wide once she saw Mercury rush forward to attack her. Meanwhile her mind trying to think of a way to escape and help her brother and Penny before things got bad.

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(With Naruto)

Hacking and slashing his way around the arena, Naruto was currently decimating all of Penny's weapons. Using Fox Flower to easily slash apart any sword that Penny sent in Naruto's direction. This of course caused Naruto to dictate the match, since Penny was trying to desperately distance herself from Naruto and attack from afar. Unfortunately for the girl Naruto was just too fast and skilled, so nothing she tried worked and Naruto quickly rushed her.

"Just give up Penny!" Naruto taunted, while he kicked the girl away and off to the side.

The crowd made a loud wince for Penny, as everyone could tell that Naruto's kick was quite brutal. Though Naruto simply turned his back to Penny and smirked, while his gaze went up into the stands. Where he saw Nora loudly cheering him on, which caused the boy to blow his girlfriend a kiss. Though in the midst of his flirting, Naruto suddenly felt an odd tingling sensation. One that caused his hair to stand and his stomach to turn.

"Hello Naruto." A low and crude voice began, one that Naruto recognized all too well. "It's been awhile."

His body freezing in place, Naruto's free hand slightly twitched. Then as the voice let a soft chuckle pass by, the blond took a hard swallow and turned around.

"Salem." Naruto began, as red eyes met red eyes and the young bandit tightly gripped his weapon. "So you have finally come?"

Salem grinned wide and held her arms out, while dozens of tendrils started to flail around her body.

"Come get me." The white skinned woman began, trying to provoke Naruto into attacking.

Reaching out with his Semblance, Naruto started to sap strength from everyone around him. This caused the blond's muscles to expand and his red eyes to flare to life with a burning passion.

"I'm going to kill you." Naruto declared in a low voice, while he pressed forward with inhuman speeds. Using enough force to crush the ground beneath his feet when he ran at Salem.

Salem held her arm forward, causing her tendrils to fly right at Naruto. However, the Fox Sin of Greed sliced through her counter attack with ease and continued his assault. Then as Naruto arrive before Salem he unleashed a powerful horizontal slash, one that sliced Salem in half.

"You won't!" Naruto roared in anger, as he shifted his blade into a vertical strike and sliced through Salem again.

"Hurt anyone!" Naruto continued, while he started to slash his sword left and right. Completely menacing Salem into pieces, while a small remnant of her head floated in the air.

"That I love!" The bandit finished, as he slammed his sword through what was left of Salem and impaled the ground.

Finally finishing the woman off, Naruto took deep rapid breaths and backed away, while removing Fox Flower in the process. Then as he overlooked his work, Naruto felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. He had did it, he had actually defeated Salem. However, that victory was quickly taken away, as Salem's body slowly disappeared and was replaced with the mangled, sparking and dead corpse of Penny.

"What?" Naruto gasped in surprise, as he looked down at the dead robotic girl. Who was slain by his hands and his hands alone.

Naruto then glanced around the arena and looked to his team for answers. However, all he saw were the horrified looks of his friends and loved one. Then turning on his heel he saw Ruby coming out of a maintenance door, while her silver eyes were completely zeroed in on Penny. Tears clearly fluttering down her cheeks, while she saw her friend slain by her own brother. Meanwhile to Naruto's surprise, Mercury was at the maintenance door and simply smirked at the blond before taking his leave. Then at that moment he had a revelation that placed all the pieces together.

Just like Yang, Naruto had seen something that wasn't there. Meaning he had played right into someone's hands, but the question was who?

"This was not a tragedy." A familiar voice began, while all the overhead screens turned red and a single black chess piece was visible. "This is what happens when you give your trust to men who claim to be our guardians, but are just men."

Naruto snarled at the voice, while his mind trying to remember where he had heard the individual from. Nora on the other hand frowned from in the stands, as she recognized the voice instantly.

"Cinder." The Winter Maiden growled, while the temperature around Team JNNP dropped drastically. Causing Jaune and Pyrrha to glance at their friend with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Men who try to hold more power than they can control. One was even arrogant enough to hold the power of his huntsmen academy and his nation's military. They even hold claims of keeping the peace." Cinder continued, as the arena spectators started to grow uncomfortable. "But what have we here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army? And why would Atlas dress this weapon as a small girl? I'm certain the creatures of Grimm can't tell a difference."

Up above James Ironwood narrowed his eyes and ran off to take action against the broadcast.

"And what about Ozpin? First Yang Xiao Long and now Naruto Branwen? Two children of the famous bandit Raven Branwen? Is Beacon's headmaster arming himself with individuals trained to kill huntsmen? It surely looks that way too me." Cinder pointed out, while a murmur of panic could be heard. "And trust me when I say things are not going well in Mistral. In fact this peace we all know is slowly vanishing and war is on the horizon.

With that being said the screen cut off and the stadium went silent. However, that silence was quickly pierced by the loud shriek of a Grimm. One that was flying over top and circling the stadium. Then as the crowd saw this a panic erupted and people began to shout, run, push and shove around the arena.

Naruto watched more Grimm appear in the sky and tightly gripped onto Fox Flower. Salem's attack was starting, that he was sure of. So looking up to Nora, the young couple shared a glance and nodded. Naruto then turned to Ruby and prepared to make his move, while thinking that all hell had finally broken loose.

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(Airship docks)

While chaos was erupting within the arena, ships marked with the White Fang insignia were landing and releasing Grimm into the city and Beacon Academy. Though one ship in particular opened its doors to reveal Adam Taurus, who had one hand on his weapon, while a new and pitch black arm was tightly holding onto the airship.

"It's time for these humans to pay." Adam seethed in a low voice, while he glanced around to his surroundings. "Though no one will pay as much as Naruto Branwen and Blake Belladonna."

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(Atlas Flagship)

"Well Neo." The calm and collected voice of Roman Torchwick began, while he hobbled over the dead bodies of Atlas personnel. "I appreciate the timely rescue, but now it's time to have some fun."

Neo watched Roman make his way to the control panel of the ship. The man was clearly still recovering from a massive beating and still had the injuries given to him by Naruto Branwen. However, that didn't stop the man from continuing on with his plan.

"Let's cause some mischief." The world renowned criminal declared, while he pressed a button on the console. "We have a city to burn down!"

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(Chapter end)

And that's a wrap! Things are heating up and we are now into the juicy part of the volume. So all I have left to say is prepare yourselves for one hell of a next few chapters.

Anyways thanks for reading and tell me what you thought and if you're excited for next chapter!


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19. A Nightmare

Loud shrieks of terror, the stomping of feet from fleeing civilians and the piercing roars coming from the creatures of Grimm. Standing alone Naruto watched and listened to all the chaos around him. Then suddenly the bandit's mind started to drift to every town he had watched burn. He recalled every person he had watched get slaughtered by a creature of Grimm. It was just like all the times before, but the key difference this time was that his family was in danger.

"Naruto, Naruto. . . Can you not hear me?" Ren yelled loudly inside Naruto's mind, his voice filled with distress.

Shaking his head and focusing, Naruto saw Ruby off to the side. "Yeah I can." The red eyed boy began, while he looked up. Seeing a massive Nevermore slamming its body into the barrier that protected the stadium. "What's the matter?"

"I've been trying to stop you, but you wouldn't listen! You were shouting on about Salem and killing her, but she wasn't anywhere. Then to make things worse you killed Penny. . . Could you not hear me?"

Naruto frowned and rubbed his head. "No I couldn't. . . Our enemy must have the ability to tamper with someone's mind or senses." The bandit explained in a low voice, while he tightly held onto his weapon. "It would explain what happened with Yang and why I saw Salem. . . Our enemy used me and my sister to cause panic. I'm such a fucking idiot!"

"That's truly a frightful ability. I mean to tamper with your mind too such a degree where I was shut out from communicating with you." Ren began in a low voice. "You need to keep on your toes from here on out. It's clear that I cannot assist you with any attacks from our unknown enemy."

"They aren't unknown." Naruto mumbled in an angered voice, as he started to walk over to Ruby. "I wasn't sure at first, but after seeing Mercury. I'm certain the voice was Cinder and she along with her little sidekicks are working with Salem. I'm going to kill those bastards!"

Ruby hearing her brother looked over to the bandit with tear filled eyes. Naruto saw this and instantly frowned at how heartbroken the youngest of the two looked. In fact he didn't know what to say, so he simply walked over and engulfed the small girl into a hug.

"I'm sorry kiddo." Was all Naruto managed to get out, while he felt the girl teighten her hands onto his clothing.

"It's wasn't your fault. . . I couldn't make it in time. Mercury he- . . ."

"I know kiddo." Naruto cut in, surprising the crying girl. "I figured everything out when it was too late. I'm sorry I couldn't do so sooner, I was blinded by my emotions and couldn't think straight. I wish I could go back and stop all this from happening."

"Me too." Ruby replied in a soft voice, while she backed away and rubbed her eyes. "What are we gonna do?"

Naruto didn't know what to say, he wasn't the leader type. Hell he wasn't even that great at making up plans. Though right now was a moment of crisis and he needed to do something.

"I'll tell you what we do." The voice of Nora spoke up, while both brother and sister turned around. Allowing them sight of Nora and the rest of Team JNNP, but the three teens were not alone. Since they were flanked on all sides by Team SSSN, Team CFVY and Team CRDL. "We fight back."

"You got a plan?" Naruto asked in a low voice, while he looked at his girlfriend for guidance.

Nora smirked and held her hands to her hips. "Yeah I've got a few ideas, but it's going to involve all of us." The Winter Maiden began, but stopped once the Nevermore along with a wave of Grimm broke through the stadium's barrier. "But before we talk strategy, let's secure the area."

Everyone present watched Nora turn to the Grimm and hold her hand high into the air. Causing numerous ice spikes to materialize in the air around her. Then by giving the Grimm a wink and snapping her fingers. The ice spikes flew forward at lightning fast speeds and impaled the entire horde in seconds. Killing all the invading Grimm before they could cause any damage to the arena or people within.

"Damn with you here this will be easy!" Sun shouted in shock, as he along with everyone else was amazed by Nora's power.

Coco lowered her glasses and smiled. "What is Ozpin teaching you first years? You are amazing!" The leader of Team CFVY complimented, while Velvet snapped a picture of Nora.

The orange haired Maiden sighed. "Those were merely the scouts. . . Trust me, more will come." Nora began, while she turned to Naruto. "Besides I can't waste time and energy fighting Grimm. I along with Naruto have to focus my power on the real threat."

"Real threat?" Jaune asked, voice the concern of everyone in the group.

"Are you talking about the chick on the speaker?" Cardin asked, while he narrowed his gaze at Nora. "Are we under attack by more than just Grimm?"

"That's not important." Naruto mumbled, while he saw more and more Grimm flying over the stadium. "We need to evaluate the situation and think of a plan."

"An excellent idea Naruto! I only wish you applied yourself in the classroom like you do in the battlefield!" The voice of Dr. Oobleck spoke up, while he along with Professor Port made themselves known to the group.

"You children need to leave and assist outside of the arena." Port began, while he readied his weapon. "You cannot waste time defending this area. Leave that to me and the Dr."

Dr. Oobleck nodded in agreement. "Take Taiyang's example, he already rushed off to defend the city. Leave this area in our protection. We will ensure the safety of the area and any straggling civilians."

Naruto and Nora nodded at the two, while everyone else rallied behind the two bandits.

"Alright just don't die." Naruto began, while Nora started to lead the group of students out of the arena.

Quickly and with no issue the group found themselves on the outskirts of the arena. Where they found many evacuation ships gathering civilians and escorting them to safety. However, they also saw a large mass of Atlas military robots defending the evacuation zone from Grimm.

"Branwen!" The voice of James Ironwood yelled out, earning a sigh from Naruto.

"Jimmy." Naruto called back, while he watched the general run over to his group.

"I don't have time to ask what happened." Ironwood began, while looking the group over. "Grimm are invading, I'm losing troops left and right. Meanwhile someone has hijacked one of my flagships and his shooting down my other ships along with the evacuation ships. Now to make matters even worse I'm getting reports that the White Fang is also attacking! We need to take action and fast."

Nora stepped forward and looked at Naruto and James. "Well let's take action then." The Winter Maiden declared, while she waved Jaune over to her side. "Jaune come here."

"What is it Nora?" Jaune asked, while he looked at the girl with confusion.

"Listen we need to stop that hijacked ship, push the Grimm and White Fang back, secure the area and most importantly escort Pyrrha to the bunker." Nora began in a serious voice, while glancing over to Pyrrha. "I'm sorry Pyrrha, but times up. Like it or not we need you to make the choice."

Pyrrha nodded with confidence. "Don't worry I'll do it."

Nora sighed and looked back to Jaune. "Alright leader you heard all that and you're the best with making plans on the fly. What do we do?"

Jaune looked around nervously, as everyone was looking to him for orders. The pressure was on and it didn't help that the boy had a dozen questions for Nora. Though Jaune was suddenly calmed by Pyrrha, who placed a confronting hand on his shoulder.

"You can do this, I believe in you." Pyrrha began in a soft voice, which filled Jaune with confidence.

"Alright we need to retake that ship first off." Jaune began with determination behind his voice. "We need a small and elite force, Naruto that's you. I'm positive you alone can retake the ship and clear the air space for our evacuation and combat ships. After that I want you taking out any Grimm and White Fang you cross."

Naruto did a quick flourish with Fox Flower. "Consider that ship ours leader." The Fox Sin of Greed declared in low voice, while his eyes flashed bright red. "And I'll gladly take out some mindless beasts when I'm done."

Jaune nodded and pointed to James, causing the man to lift his eyebrow. "Okay General Ironwood we need you to coordinate a rescue effort into the city. I'm sure your men along with other huntsmen are doing their best. However, you and Team CFVY can be more useful as backup for the ground forces. There is still a large amount of civilians that need our help. And we all know people in distress only lure more Grimm. We need to fix that issue before it gets out of hand."

"You're quite the tactician Mr. Arc and I agree." James replied with booming authority. "I'll take a ship with Team CFVY down the to the city."

"Good." Jaune began, while the blond looked to Nora and sighed. "Listen Nora I have a million questions, while most involve this bunker you mentioned and why Pyrrha has to get there. I only need one answer. How important is it that we get Pyrrha to this bunker?"

"It's priority number one." Nora answered instantly, while Jaune rubbed his head and sucked in his teeth. "Also I'm most likely one of our enemies targets. So to ensure Pyrrha's safety I should stay away from her and be a distraction."

"Damn It, okay Pyrrha do you know how to get to this bunker?" Jaune asked.

"Yes I do." The redhead began in a soft voice, while she sadly glanced to her best friend.

"Okay in that case I along with Team CRDL will escort Pyrrha to the bunker. After that we can adjust our objective once our mission is complete." Jaune explained, while he looked over to Cardin. "Can I count on you guys?"

Cardin along with his team all smirked at Jaune. "Yeah buddy, don't worry we got your back." The reformed bully declared, showing the once enemy was now a dependable friend.

Jaune smiled and looked at Team SSSN, Nora and Ruby. "Okay Team SSSN I'm going to need you four at the west side of Beacon. Save students, defeat White Fang and take out Grimm. Nora with your strength it's fine for you and Ruby to go together. I need you both to protect the east side of Beacon. Remember Weiss, Blake and Yang are out there somewhere. We absolutely have to work together to make sure they are okay."

Sun pumped his arm forward. "Don't worry Team SSSN will save the day!" The monkey Faunus shouted with passion.

Ruby looked down nervously, as the thought of something happening to her sister and team filled her with dread. Nora saw this and rested a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Don't worry Ruby, Yang and the others are fine." The Winter Maiden began, while smiling softly. "Me and you will make sure of that."

Ruby looked to the older girl with a smile. "Yeah you're right!"

Jaune looked around with a serious expression. "Everyone know what they have to do?" The natural born leader asked, while everyone nodded their heads. "Good than let's move out!"

Naruto watched everyone run off, but he instead walked over to Nora and Ruby. Then by grabbing his girlfriend's hand he brought the girl in close.

"Stay safe. . . You know the danger." Naruto began in a low voice. "They will be coming for you."

Nora wrapped herself around the red eyed bandit. "Yeah I know and the same goes for you." Nora replied in a low voice, while slowly reaching up to kiss her boyfriend. Though as her lips almost touched Naruto's she backed away and tapped the boy on the nose. "Boop."

Naruto chuckled and looked at his bubbly girlfriend. "Is that how you really want to say goodbye to me?"

Nora winked in response. "Consider it a reason for you to come back to me alive."

Naruto smiled and nodded his head. "I didn't plan on doing otherwise." The Fox Sin of Greed replied in a cocky voice, while looking at Ruby. "But keep an eye on Ruby for me, I don't like her being out in danger."

Ruby puffed her lips, crossed her arms and started to pout. Though before she could voice her annoyance with her overbearing brother, Nora giggled and ruffled Ruby's hair.

"I'll watch her back just like she will watch mine. Your little sister is quite the warrior after all." Nora replied in a honest voice, one that swelled Ruby's confidence and made her smile at Nora.

"Thanks Nora." The smallest of the group mumbled softly, as she truly appreciated the older girl.

Nora grinned wide. "Don't mention it, you're practically my little sister at this point!" The Winter Maiden declared boldly, while Naruto blushed a deep shade of red at the implication of Nora's declaration. "So I gotta be a good big sister!"

Ruby giggled and hugged the older girl, a sight that made Naruto's heart grow warm. "I love you two." The young bandit admitted with care behind his voice.

"And we love you." Nora replied, while Ruby nodded in agreement. "So go kick ass my Fox Sin of Greed."

Naruto grinned wide and turned his back to the girl's. "And you raise some hell my Boar Sin of Gluttony." Naruto laughed, while he quickly ran over to an empty transport ship.

Ruby raised her eyebrow in confusion. "What's with the nicknames anyway?"

"Oh nothing really." Nora answered with a small giggle, while she and Ruby started to walk off. "Though I see you're a little envious of me and your brother's names for each other? Maybe I'll give you one after this is over."

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(With Blake and Weiss; west side of Beacon)

One moment Blake and Weiss were walking down the open and peaceful courtyard. Then not a moment later they were back to back fighting off a horde of Grimm. Neither knowing where the beasts came from or what was happening. However, for the moment both girls seemed to be relatively fine despite the large number of Grimm.

"What in the world is going on?" Weiss asked loudly, while stabbing a rampaging Beowulf in the head. "How did Grimm get this far into Beacon?"

Blake frowned and her Faunus ears twitched. "I don't know, but we have to meet up with the others."

Suddenly a loud explosion detonated and fire began to engulf one of the dorm rooms. Blake and Weiss witnessed this destruction and feared the worse for anyone that might be inside. Then matters were made even worse once the sounds of terrified students began to pierce the chaos.

"Blake." Weiss began in a low voice. "People need our help."

"Yeah I know." The Faunus replied, as more Grimm began to swarm their location. "We really shouldn't, but we need to split up and help as many people as possible."

"I'll go left towards the other dorms." Weiss explained, while turning her body to run.

Blake nodded. "I'll see if anyone is hiding out by the cafeteria."

"Alright stay safe." Weiss instructed in a caring voice.

"You too." The Faunus replied before taking off towards the cafeteria.

Weiss ran forward at her fastest pace possible, while slicing through as many Grimm as humanly possibly. She hoped that she would find Yang or another friendly face, considering the amount of Grimm seemed to be growing by the second.

The young huntress in training ran for what felt like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes. However, as Weiss finally made it to the other dorms she did spot a group of familiar faces. Ones that filled her with joy and hope.

"Neptune, Sun, Sage and Scarlet!" Weiss yelled with relief in her voice.

Team SSSN all noticed Weiss and ran over to the girl's side. Making sure to finish off any Grimm that was between their path to Weiss.

"Weiss you're okay!" Neptune shouted happily. "Thank goodness!"

"For now." Weiss called back, while she hunched over and took a deep breath. "What is going on?"

"Long story short- . . ." Neptune began, but was silence when Sun jumped into the conversation.

"Where is Blake?" The monkey Faunus asked.

"She went to check the cafeteria for people in trouble." Weiss answered and was about to ask again for her own answers, but instead Sun blew past her and ran towards Blake's location.

The remaining members of Team SSSN along with Weiss watched the boy run off. Neptune simply shook his head, as he knew his best friend had it bad for Blake. So he was obviously worried for the girl during this crisis situation.

"Man that idiot." Neptune mumbled. "He's crazy for Blake."

"Tell me about it mate." Scarlet added in with a chuckle.

Weiss tapped her foot, showing her impatience. "Can someone please tell me what is going on?" The rich girl from Mantle asked.

Neptune sighed. "Like I was saying earlier, it's a long story. The shortened version is we are under attack by Grimm, White Fang and about everything else under the broken moon."

Weiss's eyes grew wide. "Where is everyone else?"

"Doing their part to fight back." Sage explained in a serious voice. "We need to do the same."

Neptune nodded his head in agreement with his teammate. "You're right Sage, so let's- . . . " Suddenly the blue haired boy froze, while he looked down to the three blades that were slammed into his body and poking out of his chest.

Weiss brought her hands to her mouth in horror, while Neptune slowly brought his shaking hands around the blades. Meanwhile a sizable amount of blood was already building up around where the blades were protruding from.

Sage and Scarlet both turned on their heels and faced their surprised attacker. Finding a man with medium length grey hair that was slicked back and bore the most sadistic purple eyes they had ever saw. The man wore no shirt, but had bandages wrapped around his stomach, while also having a pair of maroon pants with long, black sandals. Though by far his most defining feature was the large triple bladed scythe, which was currently buried into Neptune's back and stuck out from his chest.

"Neptune!" Weiss shirked in terror, while she saw the man jerk his weapon up and out of Neptune. Resulting in the boy falling forward dead into the embrace of Weiss, whose white dress was quickly stained red by Neptune's blood.

Sage and Scarlet saw their friend fall and gripped tightly onto their weapons. "You bastard!" The remaining two shouted out in anger, while they attacked the man in unison.

However, displaying amazing speed and reaction time the man jumped backwards and created a large distance from the group. "Oh how I've missed craving up young huntsmen." The man declared in a sick and pleased voice, while he inspected the blood dripping from his scythe. "Her excellence was so kind to let me come and participate in the merriment!"

Sage and Scarlet both prepared themselves for a fight, as they could tell the man standing before them was powerful. Weiss on the other hand was too stunned to even move. Though she was hoping that Blake was having a better time than she was.

Speaking of Blake the young Faunus was currently making her way to Beacon's cafeteria. Though while she made her approach Blake could tell the building was in a complete ablaze. However, a loud cry for help forced her to push forward in the direction of the voice. Though the moment Blake arrived to the cafeteria, she peered through a broken window and instantly regretted her actions.

"No." Blake mumbled in fear, while she watched Adam Taurus pierce his sword right into an innocent Atlas soldier.

Adam's ears twitching, the Faunus turned to where Blake was with a twisted grin on his face. "Well if it isn't my beloved." Adam began darkly, while he started to slowly walk in Blake's direction. "You're not going to run away this time."

Blake slowly stepped backwards, as she was getting herself ready to flee. However, she froze once Adam stopped and hovered his sword overtop another downed, but alive Atlas soldier. Then without any regard for herself, Blake dashed forward and clashed blades with Adam.

"Always the righteous hero Blake." Adam taunted, while he slowly pushed the girl back. "That will be your undoing my beloved."

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(With Nora and Ruby; east side of Beacon)

Running at an even pace, Nora and Ruby were slaughtering Grimm left and right. The youngest of the two was using Crescent Rose to slice apart any Grimm that got too close. Meanwhile Nora was using her Maiden powers to dispatch her foes at a large distance.

"Ruby do you see any survivors?" Nora asked in a serious voice, while she held her hands forward.

Ruby watched the Winter Maiden freeze a cluster of Grimm and shook her head. "No I don't see anything besides Grimm!"

"And that's what worries me." Nora admitted.

Ruby raised her eyebrow in response. "What do you mean by that?"

Nora sighed softly. "I was half expecting someone to come after me. . . I'm not gonna lie Ruby being around me is dangerous. However, I was hoping to draw attention away from Pyrrha."

"Don't worry about me Nora! Like you told Naruto I can protect myself!" The smallest of the two declared, while giving the older girl a confident smile. "Besides someone has to watch your back!"

Nora grinned at Ruby, she really appreciated the girl more than she would know. Though the sound of a gunshot caused Nora to react on instinct and created an ice wall around Ruby. Then as the protective layer of ice shielded Ruby from a sneak attack, Nora turned in the direction of her attacker. Allowing her to see two of the few people she absolutely despised.

"Mercury and Emerald." Nora seethed in a low voice, while she watched Mercury lower his leg.

"Come quietly and nobody has to die." Mercury instructed in a firm voice, while the boy cocked a smirk. "Well nobody besides you."

Nora cracked her knuckles. "Or how about you go fuck yourself."

Emerald chuckled and shook her head. "You've really taken after your boyfriend. Though you should listen to Mercury. There is no sense of getting little Ruby killed." The green haired girl threatened. "After all, we are one for one with taking down Maidens."

Suddenly the air around the teenagers dropped to dangerously cold temptations. "You three were responsible for Amber." Nora mumbled in shock.

Mercury took a bow and laughed. "Guilty."

Poking out from behind Nora's protective layer of ice, Ruby pointed at the two Mistral teenagers. "And they were behind what happened to Yang and Naruto! Penny is dead because of them!"

Emerald shrugged her shoulders. "Guilty again."

Ruby gritted her teeth and was about to jump forward and attack, but she was stopped by Nora. The latter of whom held her arm out to contain Ruby from making a mistake.

"Calm down Ruby, they are just trying to provoke us. Don't do anything brash like Naruto or Yang would." Nora instructed in a stern voice. "You're better than that."

Ruby hung her head. "I'm sorry Nora."

Nora sighed and patted Ruby on the shoulder. "Don't apologize kiddo, just let me handle this one. . . I've been wanting to break these assholes apart since I met them."

"So that's a no on coming peacefully then?" Mercury asked, while the boy slowly dropped into a fighting stance.

"That's a poor choice on your part." Emerald declared, while the green haired girl started to multiple.

Nora sighed in response and held her hand outward, while an explosive force of icy cold wind knocked both teens backwards. Mercury went rolling onto his back, while Emerald's illusions faded. Revealing only a single girl downed and beside her teammate.

"The only poor choice was your own, as you'll learn I'm far more powerful than Amber ever was." Nora began in a superior tone, while Ruby watched a strange red marking etch itself onto Nora's neck. "To you I'm just the Winter Maiden, but Raven helped me realize who I truly am. . . I'm Nora Valkyrie the Boar Sin of Gluttony. Though I must admit, I've never went all out with my abilities before. So you two shall be perfect little guinea pigs to practice on."

Ruby's eyes grew wide, as she saw a crimson boar marking appear on the older girl's neck. Though the marking heavily resembled the one that Naruto had, but she remembered her brother's resembled a fox. So it made the girl wonder what the connection between the two animal markings were.

"Just what is that marking?" Ruby mumbled in a low and unheard voice.

Meanwhile Mercury and Emerald were standing onto their feet. Both teens already prepared to take on the full power of a Maiden. Though they were soon going to learn just how outmatched they were.

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(With Yang)

Running out of her dorm building, Yang looked left and then looked right. She had watched her brother's match with her scroll and saw the outcome, but she was still confused by the sheer number of Grimm that had invaded Beacon.

"What is going on?" Yang asked herself, while she debated on where to go. Though she momentarily stopped and punched a Grimm that rushed her location. "Why is there so many Grimm at the school!"

"Yang!" The familiar voice of Sun Wukong yelled, grabbing the girl's attention.

"Sun!" Yang called back in relief, while she watched the Faunus run to her. "Please tell me you know what is going on?"

Sun groaned. "I don't have time to explain, but listen. My team and Weiss are in that direction." The teenager explained, as he pointed to the left. "You should go group up with them and make sure they are okay."

Yang tilted her eyebrow. "And what are you going to do?"

Sun pointed past Yang. "Weiss said that Blake went to the cafeteria to search for people in trouble. I'm going to go find her and take her back to the main group."

Yang nodded and placed a hand on Sun's shoulder. "Alright monkey boy, you take care of Blake. I'll go meet up with everyone else and hopefully get a real explanation."

"I'm sure Nep will fill you in." Sun chuckled in an upbeat tone, while he started to run off. "But stay safe out there Yang!"

Yang waved the Fauns off and started to run in the direction of Weiss. "The same goes for you monkey boy!"

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(With Naruto)

Jumping out of his transportation and landing on top of the hijacked Atlas flagship, Naruto watched the ship he borrowed slowly crash down into the city below.

"Well I hope nobody on our side was hit by that!" The bandit chuckled in a nervous voice.

"How you even made it here is beyond me." Ren commented in a surprised voice. "You might be the worst pilot in all of Remnant."

Naruto rolled his eyes and looked around. "Whatever Ren." The blond grumbled, while dozens of flying Grimm circled from overhead. "Right now I gotta figure out my next move."

"I suggest actually getting inside the ship." Ren mumbled.

"And I suggest you go fuck yourself." Naruto retorted before grabbing his weapon and grinning like a madman. "Let me worry about everything else."

Naruto then took a few steps forward, but a loud screeching noise caused him to flip backwards. Moving with just enough time to dodge a glowing red projectile.

"Well if it isn't my least favorite little bastard." The voice of Roman Torchwick seethed, while the man slowly walked in Naruto's path. "I can't wait to repay you for what you did to me!"

Naruto smirked and noticed Neo standing by the man's side. "Well if it isn't the punching bag and the half and half bitch." The bandit began, while he glanced down to his weapon and tightened his hold. "You two picked the wrong people to side with and I must admit. . . I'm pretty pissed off right now, but I'll vent some of that out on your mangled dead bodies."

Roman and Neo both twitched, while they watched Naruto glance up at them with a burning red glare. Then without any warning Naruto sprinted right at the two criminals with the intent to kill.

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(With Jaune, Pyrrha and Team CRDL)

Leading the group forward, Pyrrha made absolutely no stops to their destination. Sure along the way they crossed plenty of Grimm, but with their groups size and skill. These were only small roadblocks and didn't halt their efforts in reaching the bunker.

Jaune was currently running alongside Pyrrha and was slightly winded. Since the young leader wasn't as athletic or strong as his partner. So trying to keep at her pace was challenging to say the least. Regardless he somehow managed to not lag behind and be a burden to the group.

"Pyrrha are we almost there?" Jaune asked in an exhausted voice, as he was slowly reaching his limit.

Pyrrha glanced over to Jaune and even further back to Team CRDL. She could tell all the boys following her were slowly growing tired and needed to stop and catch their second wind. However, she knew how serious their situation was. So Pyrrha needed to make sure securing the Fall Maiden's powers above everything else.

"It's right up ahead Jaune, just push yourself a little further. I know you have it in you." Pyrrha explained softly, as she continued onward.

Jaune nodded and kept pace with Pyrrha, but still had questions swimming around his mind. It was something that Jaune didn't like, so he decided to speak his mind.

"Hey Pyrrha, what is so important about getting you to their bunker anyway? And what is really going on with this attack?" Jaune asked seriously, while Pyrrha remained silent and didn't look back.

Team CRDL all looked to Pyrrha, as they too wanted answers.

"Listen Jaune it's a long story and the less you know the better." Pyrrha began softly, which caused Jaune to frown. "For now trust me and keep on your toes."

"Okay Pyrrha. . . I'll trust you." Jaune began, but his eyes quickly grew wide. Since off in the distance he saw Ozpin waiting outside of an entrance to a tower. "What is Ozpin doing over here."

"Waiting for me most likely." Pyrrha mumbled in response, while she and the rest of her group approached the headmaster.

Ozpin looked over the students and sighed. "Are you ready Pyrrha? It's now or never."

"I'm ready Ozpin, I've thought over this too long. Now it's time I make my choice and become the next Maiden." Pyrrha replied confidently, showing that the girl was set in her decision.

"Very well." Ozpin mumbled softly, while pointing to Cardin. "Mr. Winchester can I rely on you and your team to guard this entrance?"

The orange haired teenager nodded softly. "Yeah we can lock this place down."

"Good, Pyrrha you and Jaune can follow me down into the bunker." Ozpin instructed in a hurried voice, as he turned his body to the teenagers. "I'll need Mr. Arc in case something unseen may occur."

Pyrrha glanced to Jaune, who was looking right into her eyes with worry. Since he really wanted to know what was going on and he didn't like the tone of Pyrrha and Ozpin's voices. However, instead of getting any answers from his partner, Jaune instead reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I'll stand by Pyrrha no matter what." The leader of Team JNNP declared softly, which caused the girl to smile.

"Thank you." The normally proud and confident warrior mumbled softly.

Ozpin let a small smile pass his lips, as he whiteness the young duo. "Let's head down into the bunker. . . And Team CRDL don't let anyone pass you, but please be careful."

Team CRDL all nodded, while Jaune, Pyrrha and Ozpin descended down a hallway which lead to the bunker. Then as the trio approached the elevator, Ozpin held his scroll up to a panel, causing a green light and small ding to sound off.

"Let's hurry." Ozpin instructed before motioning for Pyrrha and Jaune to enter the elevator.

Jaune and Pyrrha both walked inside the elevator and turned to Ozpin, who began to type on a keypad within the elevator. Then once the man stopped the door closed and the elevator made its descent into the bunker.

Pyrrha's nerves growing worse, the young redhead slightly shivered in anticipation for what was to come. However, Jaune who was still holding her hand felt this and gave the girl's hand a reassuring squeeze. This caused a small wave of relief to sweep over Pyrrha, while the elevator stopped and opened its doors.

"This way." Ozpin spoke up, as he started to walk into the bunker.

Pyrrha and Jaune followed after their headmaster into the bunker. However, Jaune was shocked by what he was seeing, since he didn't envision such a massive structure being right under his feet all this time.

"What is this place for?" Jaune asked in wonder, while his gaze drifted all over the place. However, no one spoke up and answered the boy's question. "Is it. . . What is that!"

Pyrrha frowned, while Jaune was looking at the two tanks at the end of the hall in shock. His mind going in overdrive trying to figure out why a woman was being stored in some secret underground bunker. Though something that Jaune managed to find out was that the woman appeared to be on some sort of life support system.

"Pyrrha please get in the pod." Ozpin instructed in a low voice, while the headmaster hurried over to a terminal by an empty and open pod.

Pyrrha removed her hand away from Jaune and slowly approached the pod. Her heart pounding with each step she took forward. Jaune on the other hand watched Pyrrha with worry and confusion.

"Pyrrha what's going on!" Jaune yelled with concern behind his voice, as he could no longer just trust Pyrrha for everything to be okay. "Who is that woman?"

Pyrrha slowly entered the pod and looked at her partner with a saddened expression. "Jaune whatever happens. . . I want you to know. . . I want you to know I- . . ." Pyrrha tried her hardest to speak her mind, but instead she bit her lip and looked to Ozpin. "I'm ready."

Ozpin nodded and pressed a button. "I'm sorry Pyrrha, but thank you." The headmaster replied, while the hatch to the pod closed Pyrrha in .

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted out.

"Mr. Arc please keep a lookout for anyone that may sneak into this chamber. I promise Pyrrha will be okay." Ozpin reassured, even though the man wasn't sure what was about to happen.

Jaune gritted his teeth and turned his back to Pyrrha, then by drawing his sword Jaune started to watch for anyone else.

However, as Jaune had his back turned to Pyrrha and Amber. The pods started to activate and a strange glow was seen around Amber's body. Then a loud whirring noise began to echo throughout the bunker and an intense amount of reddish yellow aura slowly left Amber's body and went into the tubes connecting the pods. What came next could only be described as pure pain, as Pyrrha shrieked in anguish. While the aura that had left Amber's body quickly forced itself into Pyrrha's body.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted in fear, while turning on his heel to look at his partner.

Ozpin who was looking over a monitor held his hand out to Jaune. "She's fine, her vitals are stable and the conversion is almost finished."

Jaune tightened his fists in anger, while he watched his partner suffer. He didn't like any of this and he had half a mind to stop what was going on, but he didn't want to cause Pyrrha any further harm.

However, after a few more moments the aura vanished into Pyrrha and the machines died down. Then the monitors connected to Amber flatlined, showing the former Fall Maiden was dead. Then slowly the hatch to Pyrrha's pod opened, which caused the girl to fall outwards and collapse towards the ground.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted out, while rushing to the girl and catching her before she could hit the floor.

Ozpin stepped away from the monitor and hovered over Pyrrha. "Are you okay? Can you hear us?"

Pyrrha slightly groaned and her eyes slowly opened, but what came next shocked Jaune to his core. Since the moment her eyes opened, Pyrrha's right eye began to glow with a strange aura around it.

"I feel different, but I'm okay." Pyrrha began softly, tears fighting their way out of her eyes. Then releasing a genuine smile she reached her hand up to Jaune's cheek. "I'm me."

"Of course you are." Jaune declared in a happy voice, while he held on tightly to the girl. "Who else would you be?"

"Nobody." Pyrrha answered, while she lunged forward and hugged Jaune tightly.

Ozpin watched the two for a moment, but he knew they didn't have time to waste. "Listen we must keep moving." The headmaster instructed firmly. "This was only the first step of many. Now we must retake our city and school!"

Pyrrha nodded and stood to her feet. "You're right."

Jaune stood by his partner. "What should we do?"

"Follow me and I'll explain." Ozpin began, as he lead the duo back into the elevator. "Jaune I'm going to need you to stick by Pyrrha and keep her safe at all costs. Pyrrha I want you to find Naruto, he's the strongest huntsmen we have. He will be able to keep you even safer. A new Maiden is an easy target and we cannot lose you."

"I don't know what you mean by Maiden, but what about Nora?" Jaune asked, while the elevator closed and started to ascend. "She's strong and probably closer than Naruto."

Ozpin shook his head. "Until things are safe it's best to keep Pyrrha and Nora separated. They are both too large of targets."

Jaune frowned in response, as he really didn't enjoying being kept in the dark so much. "Okay well we do know where Naruto is, but once we find him then what?"

"You'll fight back, but if things get too bad. . . Have Naruto escort you to safety." Ozpin explained in a grim tone, as the elevator stopped and opened its doors. "Cities and schools can be rebuilt, but Pyrrha is now too important to lose."

"I'll keep her safe no matter the- . . ." Jaune began in a determined voice, but a familiar cry of pain and plea for help caught his attention. "Cardin?"

Ozpin's eyes grew wide, as he heard the desperate cry of his student. Then along with Pyrrha and Jaune the trio made their way out to where Team CRDL was, but the sight they found wasn't pleasant.

The bodies of Cardin's teammates Russell, Dove and Sky were in pieces and scattered around the area in a bloody mess. Meanwhile the familiar face of Cinder Fall wss standing in the midst of the dead bodies. Then to everyone's surprise her left eye began to glow just like Pyrrha's eye had done earlier.

However, the most frightening sight of all was the woman standing near Cinder. She was a woman with deathly white skin, covered with deep red and black veins that run up her arms and face. The sclerae of her eyes were jet black and her irises had a familiar red glow to them. Meanwhile she wore a simple black and red bodysuit that seemed to form around her body. Though gripped tightly in the woman's hands, was Cardin Winchester. Who was being effortlessly lifted into the air and strangled by the woman.

"Salem." Ozpin mumbled in fear, while he slowly grabbed the relic on his hip. "Put the boy down."

"Well if it isn't the other half of the Fall Maiden and one of the four Relics!" Salem chuckled in a dark tone, while she crushed Cardin's neck and dropped the boy onto the ground. Though a frown quickly covered her face, while she glared at the symbol on Jaune's shield. "And an Arc. . . I thought I killed your putrid family centuries ago. You and the Branwens are a resilient bunch."

Jaune and Pyrrha both backed away in fear, as the sight of the butchered Team CRDL made them both uneasy. Then it didn't help that Salem looked like something right out of a nightmare.

"Jaune." Ozpin began in a serious voice, while forcing the relic in his possession into Jaune's hands. "Change of plans, find Naruto and give him this and tell him to get you two and Nora as far away from this place as you can."

"But wha-. . ." Jaune began, but Ozpin quickly stepped in front of him and Pyrrha.

"Go now!" The headmaster ordered at the top of his lungs. Leaving nothing up for debate or discussion.

Slowly grabbing onto Jaune's arm, Pyrrha started to pull her partner away. "Come on Jaune let's go." The Fall Maiden began softly, as she had heard enough about Salem to know she had to escape with Jaune. "We need to find Naruto and Nora."

Jaune was reluctant at first. "But Cardin- . . ."

"Is dead." Pyrrha cut in, as she pulled Jaune away and ran off.

Salem watched the two flee and turned to Cinder. "Don't let my Relic and the rest of the Fall Maiden get away." The woman began, while her eyes flashed a bright red. "But bring the Arc boy back to me alive. . . I want to make sure I finish that family off once and for all."

Cinder nodded her head and was about to chase after Jaune and Pyrrha. However, Ozpin quickly ran forward and blocked her path.

"I won't let either of you harm my students any more." The headmaster declared.

Salem grinned wide. "Oh you won't stop me." The vile woman began, as she and Cinder both squared up against the headmaster of Beacon. "However, you're free to try Ozpin, but know that you will die."

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(Chapter end)

Well here is the next chapter and I have a few things to say.

First I've said this a lot but this story is a lot different than the actual story of RWBY. Now Salem has recently got an origin story and other things have happened. . . My story will be doing something completely different. I've had my one idea for this story since chapter one. So I wanted to say that. So keep that in mind.

Second as of now this story is almost at 2,000 follows. . . That's absolutely fucking wild and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read this story and supported me in these last almost two years…

Third I'm doing a new story, it's in the works and is a rewrite. Read the latest chapter of Fairy Tail's Crystal Guardian by Fairytail Ninja for more info. However, I'm almost halfway through editing and completely rewriting the first half of the story. Should I slowly release what I have? Or do you guys who care to read it want me to wait till I have the majority done and then publish it?

Finally I wanted to ask some questions because I'm curious.

Q: We have already lost a few characters, who do you think will survive Volume 3 and who is going to die?

Q: Who are the characters you don't want to die at any cost?

Anyways that's all I have for now, thanks for reading and I hope to see you all soon!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20. Death

(With Naruto)

Effortlessly and with no emotion, Naruto was using Fox Flower to parry all of Neo's attacks without even fighting back. The latter of whom was desperately using her umbrella to try and strike the red eyed boy. The reason behind her desperation was to protect the person she held more dear than anyone else in the world, Roman Torchwick. Who was currently laying on his back in a bloody mess, while also being pinned in place by the sole of Naruto's shoe. Which Naruto had firmly pressed onto the criminal's throat.

"You know at first I wanted to make you suffer." Naruto admitted honestly, as he glanced downward and softly pressed down onto Roman's neck. "But at this point I'm wasting time."

Neo glared at Naruto with pure hatred, while she noticed the pain in Roman's eyes. Though she couldn't beat the blond, as every move she made was countered with ease.

"Plus a guy with a near crushed throat and a mute don't make good fighting banter." Naruto added in with a small sigh, while he quickly backhanded Neo. Sending the umbrella wielding girl a couple feet away from the group. Then by raising his sword high into the air, Naruto lifted the pressure of his foot off of Roman. "So why don't we end this already?"

Roman coughed out and started to laugh at the blond, while his weak hands grasped tightly on his cane. "You're a bastard- . . ." The criminal insulted in a raspy voice. "But never count me out."

Naruto smirked, while his eyes flashed red. "Oh trust me you're out." The blond repiled, while he pointed the tip of Fox Flower down onto Roman. "Though it's nice to see you have some spirit left in you. Guess I didn't break you as much I thought."

Roman ignored Naruto and glanced over to Neo, who was slowly getting back onto her feet. Meanwhile her eyes were locked with Roman's in absolute horror, while Naruto prepared to strike the man down for good.

"I love you kid." Roman mumbled softly, while his fingers clicked a small hidden switch on his cane. Causing the weapon to glow a bright shade of red in response. "And I'm sorry."

Noticing the weapon was about to explode Naruto withdrew Fox Flower. "Fuck!" Naruto shouted in surprise, while he quickly jumped away from Roman and off of the ship. Escaping with just enough time to avoid the massive explosion that erupted from Roman's weapon.

Then holding Fox Flower outward, Naruto stabbed his blade into a flying Grimm and landed on the creature's back. Using his weapon as a method to hold his balance, while his crimson eyes watched the burning flag ship descended down into the city below.

"Well that wasn't what I wanted to happen." Naruto mumbled softly, while the ship exploded into the ground in a fiery blaze. Though he also saw Neo a good distance away, as the girl was safe and floating downward on her umbrella. "But looks like I still have some work to do."

Naruto pulled Fox Flower out of the Grimm and shifted the weapon into it's magnum form. Then taking careful aim he pointed his weapon at the defenseless Neo. However, a loud roar pierced the surrounding area and sounds of earth being cracked reached Naruto's ear.

"What the hell?" Naruto mumbled, while he lowered Fox Flower and looked over his shoulder. Noticing a large mountain on the outskirts of the city starting to crack and break.

'Naruto, I have a bad feeling.' Ren admitted softly.

Naruto was slowly descending to the ground, as the Grimm he had landed on was killed by his earlier stabbing. Though this didn't stop the boy from keeping his eyes locked on the mountain.

"Yeah me too." The red eyed bandit repiled, while another fierce roar carried through the air. This one however; sounding much more aggressive and even louder than before.

Then without warning the top of the mountain blew off with an explosive force. Causing rubble and dust to shoot into the air, while a giant black creature burst upwards into the night sky.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Naruto groaned, as his gaze locked onto the massive creature of Grimm soaring high in the air.

The beast was an enormous winged creature, with large red bat-like wings, large muscular legs and a long winding tail. The red membrane of its wings were translucent and it's skin was rough and pitch black. Then protruding out of its body was a white bone-like spine, which included an external skull, rib cage and rows of dorsal spikes.

The beast also had three bony spikes on its tail and large claws on its hind legs. Its skull had a pair of large prominent horns and six yellow-red eyes. Meanwhile it's jaw had teeth extending down along the creature's neck and reaching beyond its skull.

"It's a mother fucking dragon!" Naruto shouted in anger, while he watched the massive Grimm dragon set its course on Beacon.

'Think you can take it?' Ren asked in a nervous voice.

Jumping off of the Grimm he was on, Naruto landed onto the rooftop of a building. Then looking up into the sky, Naruto got a clear observation of the sheer scope of the massive creature.

"If I'm being honest, I have no clue." Naruto admitted softly, while he turned Fox Flower back into its katana form. "But I'm definitely stupid enough to try."

'Well just don't die, there is two of us in here after all.' The voice of Ren chuckled in a joking manner, while Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Trust me I don't plan on dying." Naruto replied, while he started to run across several rooftops and chase after the massive Grimm dragon. "Not yet anyway."

Quickly catching up to the Grimm dragon, Naruto threw Fox Flower up at the beast. Then as the weapon flew over the creature of Grimm, Naruto appeared right beside his weapon in a red flash.

"One dead Grimm coming up!" Naruto yelled confidently before he gripped down on his weapon's hilt and thrusted down onto the Grimm Dragon's neck.

However, when Naruto's sword bounced off of the creature's skin with a loud ping and showed no signs of damage. The normally cocky swordsman chuckled nervously and stood atop the flying beast.

"Oh we are so fucked." Naruto mumbled to himself before he started to desperately hack and slash the back of the beast.

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(With Blake)

Fighting for her life, Blake Belladonna tried her hardest to fend off Adam to the best of her abilities. However, Adam was always her superior in strength and skill. Something that was highlighted each time their blades clashed. Since Adam would beat Blake down, while giving the girl absolutely no opportunities to fight back.

"You've really lost your touch my beloved." Adam began in a twisted voice, while he slashed Blake on her forearm. Giving the female Faunus a decently sized gash on her arm. "Being around all these humans has made you weak!"

Blake gritted her teeth and took a slight step back, while a feeling of dread and hopelessness swept over her body.

"I'd rather be with them than you." Blake seethed in a low pain riddled voice. "You've become nothing besides a monster."

Adam scoffed and raised his blade high in the air, while he glared at Blake with pure anger. "Well in that case I won't hold back anymore." The White Fang extremists began, while he swung his sword down onto Blake. "I'll kill you here and now my beloved."

Lifting up her own weapon in response, Blake blocked Adams strike and gritted her teeth. Considering the force of Adams blow pushed her down onto her knees, while blood shot out of her injured arm.

"Damnit." Blake mumbled under her breath, as her grip on her weapon started to loosen and shake. Something that Adam noticed with a wide grin appearing on his face.

"Looks like you're about finished Blake!" Adam yelled loudly before lifting his sword into the air.

Blake held her blade up above her head to defend herself, but at the same moment Adam smirked. Considering Blake was trying to defend herself from Adam's weapon, but left the rest of her body open for an attack. Something that a highly experienced warrior like Adam noticed and took advantage of by kicking Blake hard in the stomach. This caused Blake's eyes to widen in pain and her body to bend over in response.

"Goodbye my beloved." Adam began in a spiteful voice, while he pointed is blade down onto Blake. "Enjoy hell you traitor."

With that final insult, Adam plunged his blade in a downward strike. Fully intending to skewer the young female Faunus alive. Then with a frown Adam watched his blade make solid contact with the individual crouched down before him.

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(With Yang)

Running at her fastest speed possible, Yang ignored most of the Grimm around her. Since her main objective was to link up with the majority of her friends. Yang did however, hear blades clashing, bullets flying and other sounds of battle nearby. This made the girl assume her friends were close by and defending themselves.

Though what Yang was not prepared for was the loud blood curdling scream that sent shivers down her spine. As the scream sounded familiar, but she couldn't identify who the individual was. Yang did note that the scream was loud, but died off very quickly. Almost like whoever created the scream was silenced shortly after.

"I don't like any of this." Yang mumbled to herself in a low voice, while rounding a corner of a building. "I just hope everyone is okay."

Running forward Yang heard explosions and other sounds of battle nearby. However, taking another sharp turn the young huntress froze in fear. Her body trembling in terror and her purple eyes grew wide in astonishment.

"Oh my god." Yang gasped, while she brought her hands to her mouth in order to repress her gag reflexes. However, this didn't work and Yang ended up throwing up in disgust. Considering the sight before her was too much for the inexperienced huntress to stand.

Though after Yang finished throwing up, she wiped her mouth and looked up. Allowing her to see Neptune who was lying in a pool of his own blood, while a large gash was seen on his backside. Then there was Scarlet or Yang at least believed she was looking at Scarlet. Considering a headless body resembling the boy was leaned against a bloody wall. Finally there was Sage, whose upper torso was sliced from his lower half and spread throughout the area.

"W-Who." Yang choked on her words, while she was unable to look away from the slain trio. "Who did this?"

Slowly regaining some courage, Yang stumbled forward and started to inspect the scene. Noticing that there was definite signs of a battle, but that was obvious. However, what wasn't obvious was who killed the three boys. Since their demise was certainly not the work of any Grimm. Yang knew this because there was no Grimm nearby and certainly if there was they would be devouring the boy's bodies by now.

"Just what happened here." Yang mumbled softly, her eyes glancing to a shimmering and familiar weapon on the ground. "That's Myrtenaster, but where is Weiss?" The blond asked herself before grabbing the rapier for inspection.

Looking around for the young and rich teenager, Yang started to grow uneasy. Considering there was absolutely no sign of Weiss anywhere.

"What am I going to do?" Yang gasped in a stunned voice, while her hands gripped tightly onto Myrtenaster. "Sun's Team is dead, Weiss is missing and I don't know where anyone is. I need to find- . . ."

Yang suddenly froze when a giant piercing roar reached her ears. Forcing the girl to look in the direction of the sound and observe the giant flying dragon like Grimm soaring in the air. A sight that filled the already frightened girl with even more dread.

"Ruby, Naruto. . ." Yang mumbled the names of her two siblings, as she watched the massive creature of Grimm. "I don't know where you two are, but I'm going to find you before. . ." Yang paused and took another look at the remains of Team SSSN. "Before it's too late."

Turning on her heel Yang took off running back towards where Sun and Blake were supposed to be. "But first I gotta make sure Blake and Monkey Boy are okay."

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(With Ozpin)

Laying on his stomach and slowly crawling forward, Ozpin glanced straight ahead with blurry vision to his glasses. Said item was knocked off during his battle with Salem and currently the headmaster of Beacon Academy was trying to retrieve his bifocals.

However, while Ozpin crawled forward he coughed up a large amount of blood and halted his movement. Though quickly regaining himself, Ozpin reached out and began to drag his body closer and closer to his glasses.

'I cannot give up.' The aged huntsman thought to himself. 'Too many lives are at stake!'

Almost reaching his glasses, Ozpin lifted up his shaking right hand and reached outward. Desperately hoping to reclaim his glasses and continue to hold Salem off. Unfortunately when Ozpin was mere inches from his glasses a foot stomped down with powerful force and crushed the glasses.

"Poor Ozpin." Salem taunted in a dark and twisted voice. "To build such a marvelous school and work so tirelessly for decades to stop me only to have everything you've worked for come crashing down."

Ozpin looked up to Salem with his impaired vision. "You haven't won yet and like Mr. Branwen would say." Ozpin began before he gave the woman a bloodied smile. "Don't get ahead of yourself you miserable bitch."

Salem glared at the man with an unhappy expression. Then by holding her hand down to Ozpin, she pierced the downed man's backside with dozens of tendrils that shot out of her hand.

"You know Ozpin, unlike most humans I don't hate the Branwen family." Salem admitted in an honest tone, while her eyes glowed a deep shade of red. "In fact I relate with them more than anyone else, but you're not a Branwen. So I feel absolutely nothing when I strike you down."

Ozpin started to feel weak, as a large sharp pain filled his body. 'Naruto. . . Nora . . . I'm sorry, but. . . I'm leave everything to you two.' The headmaster thought to himself, while his eyes closed and the man fell limp. Showing that the leader of Beacon Academy was dead.

Salem sighed and turned away from Ozpin. "Come Cinder." The evil woman began in a commanding voice. "We have two Maidens to find and kill, two relics to obtain and an Arc to torture to death!"

Cinder smirked and looked down at Ozpin one final time. "Shall we split up then master?"

"No we shall take our time and work together." Salem replied in a serious voice. "There is no need to make foolish choices. The battle is already won and now we just need to win this war."

"I understand master."

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(With Ruby and Nora)

Ruby looked at the older female with amazement, as a cold wind was surging around Nora. Meanwhile on her head a small blue ice flower was slowly taking shape, while her eyes started to shine with a bright luminescent hue. Then the red boar marking on her neck started to glow and Ruby could feel the power radiating off of Nora.

"Amazing." The silver eyed girl gasped in awe.

Hearing Ruby, Nora smirked and held her hand out towards Mercury and Emerald. "You haven't seen anything yet." The Boar Sin of Gluttony declared before a rain of ice shards pelted the two without any mercy.

"Shit!" Mercury yelled out, while the silver haired teenager started to kick all the shards of ice. However, the boy wasn't able to fully defend himself and ended up taking multiple hits of damage.

Emerald wasn't fairing much better, as she attempted to weave and dodge Nora's attack. Though the sheer number of falling ice was too much for the girl to avoid. So Emerald eventually took a few hits, which turned into taking several more. Then before Emerald knew it she was on the ground being mercilessly bombarded by an unending rain of ice that beat the girl into the ground.

Mercury saw his comrade had fallen and hovered over her body, trying his hardest to protect himself and Emerald at the same time.

"You two really defeated Amber?" Nora asked softly, her voice bored and void of all emotion. "Honestly you both are pathetic and I'm wasting my time and energy."

Quickly lifting up her hand, Nora summoned two pillars of ice to wrap around Mercury and Emerald. Holding the two completely still and at the mercy of the Winter Maiden.

"You beat them without even moving." Ruby mumbled in a surprised voice. "You're so cool Nora!"

Nora smiled and patted Ruby on the shoulder. "I'm not that great, but now we can interrogate these two."

Ruby pumped her fist forward. "Yeah let's do it!"

Nora took a step forward, but she suddenly caught a glimpse of something out of her peripheral vision. So reacting on instinct, Nora created a large mound of snow that pushed Ruby and herself back and away from the area. Doing so with enough time to avoid the massive Grimm that crashed into the ground and crushed Mercury and Emerald.

Both Nora and Ruby looked forward in shock, not because of the now dead Mercury and Emerald. No their shock was from the massive dragon like Grimm, which was wildly shaking its head into the air and trying to crush someone between its teeth. However, the individual in the mouth of the beast was the all too familiar face of Naruto Branwen.

"Big bro!" Ruby yelled out.

"Naruto!" Nora shouted loudly, while slightly worried for her boyfriend.

Hearing both girls, Naruto turned in their direction and smiled wide. "Hey Kiddo, Nora! Fancy meeting you two here! Like my new pet?" The bandit asked, while he used all of his strength to hold the beasts mouth open. "He's a playful little bastard!"

Nora sighed and held her hand out. "You're an idiot." The girl insulted with a small smile, while she created a hand made out of ice to swipe Naruto out of the creature's mouth and bring him over to her location. "But you're my idiot."

Landing between his sister and girlfriend, Naruto grinned and winked at Nora. "Right back at ya."

Ruby lifted up Crescent Rose and watched the dragon turn and face them. "You two are real cute and all that." The youngest of the group bagan in a nervous voice. "But what are we gonna do about that?"

Naruto chuckled and rested Fox Flower on his shoulder. "Probably die." The resident swordsman of the group laughed loudly. "I mean I couldn't scratch that thing at all with Fox Flower. Then my semblance wouldn't work on that thing at all. So I tried jumping in it's mouth to kill it, but you saw how that worked out!"

Nora looked at her boyfriend with an annoyed glare and bonked the boy on his head. "That's for being stupid." The Winter Maiden began, while holding her hand out at the Grimm Dragon. "And no one is going to die."

Unleashing a loud roar at Nora, the Grimm dragon was suddenly frozen into a complete ice statue. This of course caused Naruto to smirk and Ruby to throw her hands up in the air in victory.

"Yeah Nora's the best!" The small scythe wielder yelled happily.

"You said it kiddo-. . ." Naruto began, but stopped the moment the ice shattered and the Grimm dragon pounded its tail against the ground before releasing a powerful roar. "Well swords, relic powers and ancient seasonal magic doesn't work. I guess we are down to my final gambit."

"Final gambit?" Ruby asked in a surprised voice, while the Grimm dragon lowered itself for an attack.

Naruto nodded and held his finger up. "It's my final move, passed down through the Branwen family for generations."

Nora's mouth dropped in response. "Naruto when you say final move. You don't mean what I think you mean."

Naruto nodded confidently and looked between the two girls. "Listen this is something you're going to have to do for yourselves. Can I count on you?"

Ruby nodded and looked up to her older brother. "Just tell me what to do Naruto!" The girl declared showing her loyalty and faith to her older sibling.

Naruto smirked and faced down the Grimm dragon, while silently chuckling to himself. Then the moment the creature charged forward Naruto turned completely around and started to sprint.

"Run for your fucking lives!" The bandit yelled loudly, while pumping his arms and legs high into the air.

"Are you kidding me!" Ruby screamed in disappointment before taking off after her brother.

Nora held her hand out and used her powers to slow the creature before following Naruto and Ruby. "This is your brother's secret end all technique." The Winter Maiden pointed out in an exhausted voice. "The we are all fucked run for it Branwen family special."

"It never fails!" Naruto added in, as he lead the group in their retreat.

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(With Qrow)

Qrow was currently deep within the city and fighting off as many Grimm and White Fang troops that he could. However, things got worse when moments ago the robotic Atlas military soldiers started to turn and fight for the White Fang. An event that Qrow wasn't very happy about.

"Leave it to you Atlas rejects to make things even worse!" Qrow yelled in anger before slicing apart a group of robotic soldiers.

Winter Schnee snarled in anger and impaled a rampaging Beowulf. "Out of all the honorable men who have lost their lives so far it's beyond me how you're still alive."

Glynda sighed and lifted a rock into the air. "Would you two quit bickering and focus!" The woman scolded before crushing a Grimm with the suspended rock.

"Oh I'm definitely focused." Qrow replied before looking to General Ironwood. "What about you Jimmy?"

James sighed and pointed his gun forward and shot down a flock of flying Grimm. Meanwhile Team CFVY was surrounding the man and giving him support.

"Can we not do this right now Qrow?" The hardened general asked.

Looking around their location, Qrow held his arms outstretched and looked at the sheer number of enemies circling them. "If you haven't noticed we are all surrounded, so before I die I'm gonna let you know this is your fault."

James gritted his teeth in response, but held his ground. Though Qrow was right about one thing and that was the group wasn't going to last much longer with their numbers. However, the general knew he couldn't give up. Too much was on the line and he had to fight with everything he had.

"Qrow after we make it through this I'll buy you a drink and let you deck me in the face." James began before charging into a massive mob of his own robotic Atlas soldiers. "Till then don't you even think of dying!"

The drunken swordsman grinned and dashed into a group of White Fang and began to hack and slash his way through their ranks. "I'll take you up on that offer Jimmy!"

Glynda shook her head and continued to fight. "Those idiotic men."

"If you touch the General I'll kill you Qrow!" Winter yelled out loudly, as she fought by the drunks side.

Coco smirked at watched their elders fight with new found strength. "Come on guys, let's show why Team CFVY shouldn't be underestimated! Let's go guys!"

With Coco's battle cry lifting her team up, Team CFVY all jumped into action and began to fight back. However, despite everyone's lifted spirits it did very little for their odds. Considering they were still vastly outnumbered and making no progress in eliminating their enemies.

Qrow and Winter were the first to show signs of fatigue and exhaustion, as they were slowly losing ground against the White Fang. Meanwhile James was starting to run low on ammo and as he reloaded his weapon a group of robotic soldiers tackled him to the ground.

"General!" Winter yelled in fear, as she dropped her guard and a White Fang extremists tried to capitalize on her mistake. However, she was quickly saved by Qrow who blocked the attack with his sword.

"I swear it's like you've never been on the battlefield!" Qrow yelled before striking down Winter's attacker. "Worry about yourself or you'll get killed!"

Glynda frowned, but she knew Qrow was right. However, she held her wand up to assist the General by knocking the robots off of his body she dropped her own guard. Unfortunately this resulted with a group of Grimm pouncing on top of Glynda and clawing the woman.

"Glynda!" James yelled in fear, as he ran over to the woman's aid and barreled into the Grimm.

Meanwhile while this was happening Yatsuhashi dropped his massive sword and took a hard breath. Unfortunately this left him wide open for the horde of Grimm that tackled the boy and began to rip into him with no mercy.

"Yatsuhashi!" Coco yelled in horror, as she started to unload bullets into the Grimm to save her comrade. However, as a Grimm ripped its jaw into Yatsuhashi's neck it was far too late to save the boy.

"No!" Velvet screamed, while she watched her friend bleed out and couldn't do anything to save him.

Fox turned in the direction of Yatsuhashi and couldn't believe that his close friend was most likely dead. Though as Fox's attention was moved to his dying friend he was suddenly pelted in the back with a barrage of bullets. Resulting in the last remaining male member of Team CFVY dropping hard and liflessly to the ground.

"Fox!" Coco shrieked loudly before turning her weapon and shooting at her teammates killers.

Velvet clutched her head, as a sense of dread filled her body. Two of her dear friends were dead and the teachers were not doing much better. Then with the large mass of enemy forces surrounding their position, Velvet could only think one thing.

"We are all going to die." The bunny Faunus mumbled before falling onto her knees.

Coco hovered over her best friend and never stopped firing her weapon. She already lost two friends and she wasn't going to lose a third. Meanwhile, the General was desperately defending Glynda. The latter of whom was clearly bleeding and not moving, but it was unclear if she was dead or not. Finally there was Qrow and Winter who were doing everything they could just to survive the overwhelming numbers.

For a moment everything seemed lost, but then suddenly a monumental gust of wind tore through the city streets. Lifting every Grimm, robot and member of the White Fang high into the air. Spinning all the gathered enemies into a giant vortex of wind. Then with tremendous force the vortex soared high into the air and tossed every single enemy like rag dolls throughout the city.

"Honestly I'd expect this kind of pathetic display from my brother, but it's saddening to see the standards for Atlas and Beacon have dropped so low." The voice of Raven Branwen began in a condescending tone, while the woman slowly stalked her way in the direction of Qrow. "Lucky for you all I'm here to collect my children."

With every single enemy defeated, Qrow looked on in surprise to find his sister standing alone among their group.

"Raven?" The drunken twin began before falling on his backside and sighing in relief. "For once I'm actually glad to see you."

Raven nodded and looked around the area, noticing General Ironwood looking over the condition of who appeared to be Glynda Goodwitch. The mother of two then glanced over to see two unfamiliar girls crying over to slain boy's.

"I see things still haven't changed." Raven began in a bitter tone. "You fools still send children to their deaths."

Qrow glared at his sister, but instead of responding he hung his head. This surprised Winter, as she has never met Raven before and didn't know someone could make the normally witty huntsman hold his tongue.

Raven seeing her brother wasn't going to say anything sighed and walked over to Coco and Velvet.

"Girls, I'm sorry for your loss." Raven began softly, while she opened a portal beside the girl's. "Take your friends through this portal and ask for a girl named Ino. Tell her Raven wants them to have a proper burial. From here on out your fight is over."

Coco looked up to the powerful woman with a thankful gaze. "Just who are you?"

Raven smirked. "I'm Raven Branwen, leader of the Branwen Tribe and mother of Naruto Branwen and Yang Xiao Long.

Velvet bowed her head. "Thank you for saving us." The Faunus began softly, while she and Coco carried their fallen teammates into Raven's portal.

As Coco and Velvet disappeared, Raven turned to her brother and everyone else. "You idiots should follow the girl's. You all look like death and Beacons lost, my tribe has set up camp in Patch by Tai's house. This portal shall take you straight to safety."

Qrow stood to his feet and hobbled over to his sister. "And you think I'll just leave while Ruby is out there?"

Raven folded her arms and sighed. "I will save my niece along with my children. She will come back to you safely, that's a promise Qrow. Besides in your current shape you'd just get yourself killed."

"Fine, but if anything happens to Ruby-. . ." Qrow began, but stopped once Raven shoved him into her portal.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll drink yourself into a fucking coma I know." The Spring Maiden mumbled, while she watched Winter and James drag Glynda into her portal.

Raven then closed her portal and placed a hand to her hip before looking up to the cracked moon. "Now to find my children."

Suddenly a loud barking sound caught Raven's attention. So glancing to the side the alcoholic mother saw Taiyang's dog Zwei running right to her.

"Well if it isn't the mutt." Raven began softly, while she watched Zwei spin in circles around her. "Where is Tai?"

Zwei lowered his ears and head, while placing his paws over his head before whining softly.

"Okay can you find Naruto?" Raven asked impatiently.

Zwei looked up and titled his head in confusion, this of course caused Raven to groan.

"How about Yang?" Raven asked.

Zwei suddenly perked up and started to bark, while running off.

"Well guess the mutt has its uses." Raven mumbled with a slight chuckle, before she followed after the dog.

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(With Jaune and Pyrrha)

Jaune and Pyrrha both were running as fast as they possibly could. Since they were trying to get as far away from Salem as possible, while at the same time finding their teammates. However, they were still a far ways away from where Naruto and Nora should have been thanks to Jaune's earlier strategy. Meanwhile it didn't help that their scrolls where not picking up any signal, so they had no way of contacting anyone. This of course greatly frustrated Jaune, who was desperately messing around with his scroll.

"Man I can't get in contact with anyone!" Jaune yelled in aggravation. "What is going on?"

Pyrrha frowned and turned a corner with Jaune. "I don't know."

Jaune shoved his scroll into his pocket and looked to Pyrrha. "And Pyrrha what happened back there and who was that woman?"

"Jaune it's too much to explain at the moment. Just know from what I've been told that woman is called Salem and we need to avoid her at all costs." Pyrrha explained before her eyes caught a shadow looming overhead. So reacting with only seconds to spare, Pyrrha tackled Jaune to the side, which saved them both from being smashed from a giant black tendril.

"Oh you can try to avoid me." The voice of Salem began with a twisted sense of pleasure. "But you'll eventually die like all the rest."

Jaune looked back and saw Salem and Cinder slowly approaching his location. This filled the boy with fear and he tightly gripped onto the relic in his hand. Pyrrha on the other hand slowly grabbed her weapon and was about to get up and defend herself.

"What did you do with Ozpin!" Pyrrha yelled with a surprising amount of courage.

Salem noticed this bravery and smiled. "Such a bold girl, but to answer your question Ozpin is dead. Just like you and that revolting Arc holding my relic shall be."

Cinder smiled and created a bow out of glass. "Master can I kill them?"

"Only the girl." Salem answered with a burning red glare that was set right onto Jaune. "The honor of killing the Arc goes to me."

Jaune had shivers down his spine, as Salem truly terrified him more than anyone he had encountered. Even Pyrrha was worried, as she knew there was no way should could fight Cinder and support Jaune from a woman who was able to kill their headmaster. However, to protect the boy she loved. Pyrrha knew she had to surpass her limits and fight with everything she had.

"What are we going to do?" Jaune asked in a weak voice. "I don't want to die."

Pyrrha held onto Jaune and kept the boy close, then by leaning forward she gave Jaune a strong kiss on the lips. She then held their kiss for a few moments before backing away.

"I will protect you, now and always." The girl began softly before standing up over top of Jaune and glaring down her two opponents. "Because I love you."

Jaune was stunned by Pyrrha's declaration of love, but before he could even respond the young warrior dashed forward and threw her shield at Cinder.

Cinder reacted to this by ducking under Pyrrha's shield and shooting an arrow at the girl. However, Pyrrha simply batted the arrow away with her spear and used her semblance to recall her shield. This resulted in Cinder taking the shield to the back of the head and falling down to the ground. Pyrrha then reclaimed her shield and rushed Salem.

"Such an interesting girl." Salem mused with interest, while she created a large sharp blade made out of the black substance covering her body. "I believe you'd make a better Maiden than young Cinder here."

Pyrrha clashed her spear against Salem's black blade and gritted her teeth. Realizing that the woman possessed a surprising amount of strength. "I would never join you."

"Oh I know." Salem began before pushing Pyrrha back. "That's why you're going to die."

Pyrrha's eyes grew wide when Salem slashed her across the chest. Then with all her might Salem kicked Pyrrha in the stomach and sent the girl rolling forward.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune yelled in fear, while he watched the girl roll over a few feet in front of him. Meanwhile her weapons had fell out of her hands, but it didn't look like Pyrrha was any place to fight back anyway. Since Salem's kick knocked the wind out of the girl and she was hardly moving thanks to the large gash on her body.

"I'm going to make that bitch pay." Cinder seethed in a low voice, while a ball of fire burst to life in her hand.

Salem grinned and looked at her follower. "Just make her death painful." The vile woman instructed.

"With pleasure." Cinder repiled, while the fireball started to grow in size.

"No!" Jaune yelled loudly, while he grabbed his sword and shield and ran in front of Pyrrha. "I won't let you hurt her!"

Pyrrha looked up with a hazy vision. "No Jaune." The girl began in a weak almost silent voice. "Run away."

Cinder grinned and her fireball grew even larger in size. "Master he's in the way."

Salem sighed and shook her head. "You know what, this boy is pathetic just kill him too. I'm in a cheerful mood tonight, so I'll let you have the honor."

"Thank you." Cinder replied before sending the fireball right at Jaune.

Jaune held his ground and a small faint aura appeared around his body. Meanwhile Jaune began to recall all of his friends from Beacon. This woman was a threat to Nora, Naruto, Team RWBY, his teachers, the other students and most importantly the girl he loved. Jaune knew if he didn't do something right here right now, he could lose everything he held dear.

That's why as the fireball was inches from his body, Jaune exploded with a radiating aura. One that caused Salem to be taken by surprise and horror.

"There is no way!" Salem shouted in disbelief.

"I won't let you hurt the people I love!" Jaune yelled with pure anger and determination behind his voice. Before the boy swung his sword down onto the fireball and reflected the attack right back at Cinder with double the size and power.

"What!" Cinder yelled in astonishment before she was engulfed in flames and sent onto the ground screaming from the burns covering her body.

Salem glared at Jaune, who was looking at what he had done with amazement. Unable to believe that he actually deflected Cinder's attack.

"Unbelievable there hasn't been an Arc with that semblance for centuries." Salem began in an sickened tone. "And that brat actually has it. . . The semblance of the great warrior king, Full Counter."

Pyrrha looked up to Jaune with pride in her eyes. "You did it Jaune." The girl began softly, while her eyes grew heavy. "You unlocked your semblance."

"Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted, as he turned around and inspected the girl. Seeing that she was unconscious from blood loss. "Ah man this isn't good!"

While Jaune was busy looking over Pyrrha, Salem held her hand out and Cinder disappeared into a red portal. "He can deflect magical attacks and almost killed Cinder." The vile woman began, as she held up her black blade. "I'll just have to kill him before he becomes a problem."

Jaune hearing this turned around to face the woman. He didn't know much about his newly unlocked semblance, but he knew this woman had power that surpassed his own. So he desperately needed to think of a solution to his current situation. However, a miracle happened and a giant object flew from the sky and landed in between Jaune and Salem. This of course kicked up a large amount of dust that obstructed everyone's view.

"What now!" Salem yelled in frustration.

"I don't know what you think you're doing picking on my students." The voice of Taiyang Xiao Long began in a proud and powerful tone. Then as the dust settled Jaune saw the man facing down Salem, while a large battle axe was resting on his shoulder. "However I'm going to be the one to end you once are for all."

"Mr. Xiao Long!" Jaune yelled in relief.

Taiyang smirked and looked over his shoulder. "Take Pyrrha and run, I'll handle things from here kid."

Jaune nodded and grabbed Pyrrha and the relic, then before running off he looked at Taiyang one last time. "Good luck Mr. Xiao Long."

Taiyang watched Jaune run away and chuckled. "I don't need luck, I've already won." The proud father of Naruto and Yang declared, while he pointed his weapon at Salem. "So why don't we get this over with?"

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(Chapter end)

Well here is chapter 20 and I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations! It's hard to believe this is my 20th chapter of this story and I think it was a good one. Despite the fact that we are at about 13 named characters that have died so far, while many more people's fate is still in the air!

Anyways I wanted to get this chapter out before Christmas as a little gift from me to you guys. With that said happy whatever the fuck you all celebrate! And I hope to see you guys soon on chapter 21 when things really start to kick into gear and we slowly move to the climax of Volume 3 and slowly translation to volume 4!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21. The Final Hour

(With Blake)

Adam snarled in anger, while the tip of his blade was imbedded in the shoulder of an unexpected savior. One who had saved Blake Belladonna from a fatal blow by taking the attack meant for her in her place. This person was none other than the monkey Faunus Sun Wukong, who was currently looking up to Adam with a grin.

"If you want to hurt Blake I got bad news pal." Sun began in a pain filled voice, while he slowly placed his hands together. "I'll stop you every time you try!"

"You stupid- . . ." Adam began in anger, but was cut off by the aura clones of Sun that materialized and tackled Adam to the ground. This of course caused the sword in Sun's shoulder to be be violently pulled out, as Adam had an ironclad grip on his weapons hilt.

"Shit." Sun winced in pain, while blood shot out of his open wound. "The bastard got me deep!"

"Sun!" Blake cried in a worried voice before grabbing onto the boy. "You need to get out of here! This is my fight!"

Sun glanced to Blake and gave the girl a small grin. "I know it's your fight Blake, but that's why I'm also making it mine."

"You idiot!" Blake shouted before pulling the teenager to his feet. "He's too strong, you'll die!"

Sun smiled wide and rested his torso against Blake. "Well keeping you safe is a cause worth dying for."

Blake bit her lip and clenched her fists on Sun's shirt, which was turning red from the boy's rapid blood loss. "Why?" The cat eared Faunus asked in a weak voice, while tears began to build around her eyelids. "Why go so far for me?"

Sun chuckled and watched Adam stand to his feet and glare the two down. "Heh, well that's easy." The monkey Faunus began, while he lifted up his weapon with his right hand and pointed it at Adam. "But right now isn't the time for talking."

Adam gritted his teeth, while he noticed Blake wasn't even looking at him. It pissed the White Fang extremist off to his very core to see Blake care so deeply for someone else that wasn't him right in his presence.

"You piece of trash." Adam began in absolute rage before he began to stalk his way over to Blake and Sun. "You think that you can take my beloved away from me? I'll kill you right in front of her eyes and then when she's broken I'll go kill her friends, her parents and then when I've filled her with complete unending pain. That's when I'll end her traitorous life!"

Sun gritted his teeth and watched Adam walk over to him slowly. "Dude you have some serious issues." The young monkey tailed boy pointed out in a low tone. "But if you wanna fight bring it on!"

"Sun don't!" Blake tried to warn, but her warning didn't stop Sun. Who slowly maneuvered away from Blake and struck a fighting stance.

"Let's go asshole!" Sun roared with power behind his voice before charging at Adam.

Adam watched Sun swing his staff for his head and scoffed. "Pathetic." The masked man insulted before blocking the staff with his sword. Then with one quick flourish, Adam swung diagonal across Sun's exposed chest. Resulting in a large gash across Sun's body and a large spout of blood shooting out of the wound.

"Sun!" Blake shrieked in terror before she watched the boy collapse onto his backside.

Adam grinned and held his sword high into the air, while the tip of his blade was pointed right for Sun's heart. "Just so you know Blake, this boy's death is on your hands!"

"No!" Blake cried in with desperation in her voice before leaping forward and landing over Sun's body to protect the boy. "If you want to kill him you'll have to kill me too!"

Adam's finger twitched, as he looked down at Blake's final display of affection for the boy. "If that's the way you want it beloved. Then die with your trash."

"Blake! Sun!" The voice of Yang Xiao Long yelled in shock, causing Adam to freeze and glance to the side. Where Yang was standing with her fists tightly clenched. "Get away from them!"

"Yang no!" Blake tried to warn, but as Yang's eyes exploded into a fiery red blaze. Nothing the black haired Faunus could say would stop Yang from charging right at Adam head on.

Adam's lips curled into a smile, while he turned to face the rampaging Yang. "Well if it isn't the sister of Naruto Branwen!" Adam yelled in excitement before swinging his blade in a downward strike and chopping Yang's arm clear off her body. "I'm going to make you pay for what your bastard of a brother did to me."

Blake watched Yang fall forward and land onto the ground and roll a few feet before stopping. Meanwhile her severed arm was a few feet away from Adam, a sight the filled Blake with dread.

"Yang!" Blake yelled out, while tears fought their way out of the corner of her eyes.

Adam snarled and kicked Blake in the chin, knocking the girl off of Sun and slightly disorienting her. "Today must be my lucky day! First I run into you beloved and get the chance to kill not one, but two people you cherish." The masked Faunus began, while he slowly walked over to Yang. "However, I can't lie beloved. There is someone I despise even more than you. . . Naruto Branwen the man who humiliated me and was responsible for taking my arm." Adam seethed before lifting his sword high above Yang. "Before I kill him I'll make sure he gets a good look at his butchered sister."

Blake looked forward, unable to do anything to save her friend. "Adam please don't hurt her anymore!" The former member of the White Fang begged desperately hoping the man would stop.

Adam laughed under his breath. "You're far too late to be begging for my mercy beloved." Adam declared before thrusting his sword down onto Yang. "Now she will pay for the sins of her brother."

Blake watched Adam move to strike her friend for the final blow, but was unable to do anything to help Yang. However, before Adam's blade could make contact with Yang. A strong compressed ball of wind shot into Adam's chest at blinding speeds. Resulting in the masked Faunus being lifted off the ground and sent flying backwards and away from Yang.

"I might be a no good alcoholic mother." The strong and commanding voice of Raven Branwen began in a low and furious tone, while slowly walking to Yang's side to stand protectively over the dismembered girl. "However, If anyone fucks with either of my two babies. I will personally kill whoever is stupid enough to harm my precious children."

Blake's eyes were wide in surprise, as she was looking at the mother of Naruto and Yang. Adam on the other hand wasn't pleased whatsoever, as he was growing tired of so many people interrupting him.

"You Branwen's are a cancer on this world." Adam growled in rage, while standing up to glare Raven down.

"Well you're not wrong about that." Raven replied in a cocky tone, while she pointed her sword right at Adam. "But you said my little Naruto messed up your arm? So you got the idea to do the same to my daughter?"

Adam grinned wide and looked at Yang, who was unconscious and surrounded in her own blood. "Well I wasn't finished with her y-. . ." Adam began but was silenced by Raven swiping her sword forward. Ripping up everything before her, while violent winds blew Adam back into the wall of the cafeteria. Then once Adam crashed hard into the wall the entire building started to collapse and fall onto the Faunus.

"I don't fucking care." Raven mumbled as she watched the building slowly topple downward. Then quickly she bent over to grab Yang before looking to Blake. "Girl grab your friend and get moving or die, I honestly don't care what you do." The bandit leader declared, while she started to leave the collapsing cafeteria with Yang in tow.

Grabbing Sun, Blake gritted her teeth and started to follow Raven. Only looking back for a second to see the remainder of the building fall on where Adam had been. Though as the building finally fell Blake ran over by Raven's side and looked up to the woman.

"Thank you." The Faunus began, but Raven scoffed.

"I was just protecting by idiot of a daughter." Raven replied in a cold voice, while a red portal opened by her side. "Take your friend through here if you want him to live."

Blake nodded and dragged Sun through the portal with no questions asked. Then as Blake and Sun disappeared, Zwei suddenly came running by Raven's side, his small eyes focusing in Yang before he started to whine. Raven saw this and rolled her eyes.

"She's fine mutt." The blunt bandit leader declared before walking to the portal. "But let's get her out of here and somewhere safe."

Zwei barked in response and followed Raven into her portal.

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(With Naruto, Nora and Ruby)

"I can't believe this is your plan!" Ruby yelled in disbelief, while the girl kept her pace with Naruto.

Said blond looked to the side and gave the younger teenager an eye smile and thumbs up. "I know it's pretty genius!"

"It wasn't a compliment!" Ruby shouted back.

Nora sighed and looked over her shoulder, noticing the Grimm Dragon was hot on their tail. "Can we not do this right now?" The Winter Maiden asked in a slightly winded voice. "We need to figure out a way to stop that thing!"

"Well I'm open to suggestions!" Naruto began in an exhausted tone, while he finally got a good look at Nora. Finally noticing the crimson Boar marking that was now on her neck. "Um Nora did you notice what's on your neck?"

Lifting her eyebrow in confusion, while she saw Naruto point to her neck. Nora grabbed her scroll and angled the mirror to give her a view of her neck. "Well that's new." The Winter Maiden began softly.

"It's just like Naruto's mark, but the animal is different!" Ruby pointed out, as she was curious to know what was going on.

"I remember you telling me about that story Ozpin shared with you and General Ironwood awhile back." Nora admitted softly, while she turned a corner with Naruto and Ruby. "Now that I've have one of these markings we really need to learn what they really are!"

Naruto nodded and looked over his shoulder, where the Grimm Dragon could be seen barreling through a building. "I agree, but let's deal with one problem at a time."

"Agreed." Nora began before holding her hand back and using her powers to slow the beast back once more. "So anyone have any ideas on how to kill that thing?"

Naruto watched the Grimm Dragon tear through Nora's ice and continue its rampage. He then looked over to Ruby, noticing her silver eyes were locked onto the giant creature.

"I have one idea, but it's a fucking long shot." Naruto admitted in a rather nervous voice, as his idea had a higher chance of Naruto dying than actually killing the Grimm Dragon.

"It's not more running is it?" Ruby asked in an exhausted voice.

Naruto laughed and shook his head. "Awhile back I snatched an old journal from my mom. It gave me a lot of good information about my family's techniques, but it also mentioned an ultimate weapon to use against the Grimm." The bandit explained, while talking about the time he stole Summer Rose's diary that was in Raven's possession. "It's a gamble and I'll probably get myself killed, but what's life without taking some risks?"

Nora didn't like what she was hearing especially with how Naruto had a sudden gleam in his eye. Considering the Winter Maiden didn't want anything to happen to the boy she loved. "Naruto what are you about to do?" The orange haired girl asked nervously.

Naruto grinned and kept his gaze on Ruby. "I love you kiddo and I'll do anything to protect you. I want you to know that."

Ruby titled her silver eyes at Naruto's words, as they seemed random and spontaneous. "I love you too big bro and I'd do anything to keep you safe!"

Naruto chuckled and stopped in his tracks before turning to face the rampaging creature of Grimm. "I was hoping you'd say that." The blond admitted right before he was forced to bring Fox Flower up to guard against the Grimm Dragon's claws. The latter of which came crashing down onto Naruto.

"Naruto!" Ruby shouted in worry, while she watched Naruto struggle to hold the beast back from crushing him.

"You idiot!" Nora yelled in frustration before she held her hands out and blasted a wave of ice against the Grimm Dragon's chest. Hoping her attack would relive some of the beast's pressure off of Naruto, but her powers had next to no effect on the creature. "What are you doing?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and glanced over his shoulder to Nora. "Honestly if I don't die here you'll probably kill me afterwards." Naruto admitted before he channeled his Semblance to steal Nora's strength. " **Fox Hunt!"**

"N-Naruto. . . What are you. . ." Nora began in a weakened voice, while at the same time falling to her knees in exhaustion. "Doing?"

His muscles expanding to double their normal mass, Naruto tightened his hold on Fox Flower and swung upwards. Pushing the Grimm Dragon's claw away and forcing the beast back.

"I really hope this works." Naruto mumbled softly before jumping up close and personal with the Grimm Dragon. "Take this!"

Standing over top of Nora, Ruby watched Naruto swing his sword into the Grimm Dragon's chest. Hoping the combined power of Naruto and Nora would be enough to damage the beast and even kill it.

"Go Naruto!" Ruby cheered loudly, but her tone suddenly shifted when she saw Naruto's blade bounce off of the Grimm Dragon's torso with nothing to show besides a few sparks. Then to Ruby's horror the Grimm Dragon batted Naruto into the concrete with its long winding tail.

Nora's eyes grew wide in fear, while she saw Naruto laying motionless in a small patch of rubble. "Naruto!" The Winter Maiden called out, hoping the boy would respond or stand to his feet. However, the young bandit showed absolutely no signs of moving anytime soon. "Get up!"

Ruby's eyes were wide in disbelief, as she had never seen Naruto get beaten down so easily. In her eyes, Naruto was the most powerful student of Beacon and practically unbeatable. "This can't be happening." Ruby mumbled softly, while she watched the Grimm Dragon slowly lift its claw to finish Naruto off once and for all.

"No not like this!" Nora shrieked hysterically before trying to stand to her feet and run to help Naruto. Though Nora was still recovering from Naruto stealing her strength, so the Winter Maiden simply fell forward onto her stomach instead. An action that caused Nora to grit her teeth and ball her fists, while her eyes focused in on Naruto's unmoving body. "Naruto Branwen don't you dare break your promise to me and get yourself killed!"

The Grimm Dragon unleashed a loud piercing roar and brought its claw down onto Naruto's unmoving body. Ruby saw this and felt a strong build up of pressure behind her eyes. However, her heart was heavy, as she watched the entire scene unfold before her with clear vision. Meanwhile the only thought going through her mind was her desire to protect the people she loved. Then in a single instance it happened and like a switch being flipped a blinding white light blasted right out of Ruby's left and right eye.

"Nooooooo!" Ruby yelled in desperation before the entire area was completely covered in the blinding light.

Nora closed her eyes, as the light was too much for her to handle. "What is this?" The girl asked softly, as she could feel the power radiating off of the youngest of the group.

Over with Naruto, the young bandit smirked softly and closed his eyes due to the blinding light from Ruby's eyes. "All according to plan." The Fox Sin of Greed chuckled to himself, showing he was aware of everything transpiring around him.

Slowly the light began to fade and Ruby closed her eyes before falling onto her knees. The youngest of the group didn't know what just happened. However, she didn't have time to question anything about what her eyes did. Considering she was completely exhausted and toppled face down in unconsciousness.

Nora opening her eyes saw Ruby laying by her side, but the most shocking sight was the Grimm Dragon. The latter of whom was turned into a solid and unmoving statue that was frozen with its claw mere inches from Naruto's body.

"What was that?" The Boar Sin of Gluttony asked in shock.

"The power of the Silver Eyed Warrior." Naruto spoke up with confidence, while at the same time standing to his feet. "It's a power Ruby inherited from her mother Summer Rose. It's a terrifying power that can slay creatures of Grimm with a single gaze."

"Naruto you're okay!" Nora shouted in surprise. "I thought you were going to die!"

Naruto scoffed in response. "Please I took a dive to see if Ruby would unlock the power of her silver eyes." The blond explained in a matter of fact tone, while Nora slowly stood to her feet.

"And what part of your plan involves making me and Ruby watch you almost die!" The Winter Maiden asked in an slightly upset voice.

"Well I had to make sure you wouldn't save me and had to convince Ruby I was about to die. So I stole some of your strength and let the Grimm Dragon hit me." Naruto explained in a casual voice, while he closed his eyes and held his hand out to the frozen creature of Grimm. "If Ruby wasn't in the right mental and emotional state her eyes probably wouldn't have worked. So I took a gamble and it paid off!"

"And what if your gamble didn't pay off?" Nora asked softly, her hands slowly tensing into fists.

"Oh I'd be dead as fuck!" Naruto replied with a loud laugh before tossing his head back. "Good thing I still have my insanely good luck!"

Nora started to laugh with her boyfriend, but her laughter was hollow and that sent chills down Naruto's spine. This caused the bandit to open his eyes and look at Nora. The latter of whom had tears in her eyes and two fists raised high in the air.

"Uh Nora are you ok- . . ." Naruto began, but was silenced by Nora decking him in the cheek. This of course caused Naruto to recoil back and hold his now red cheek. "Ow that hurt!"

"Heheheh." Nora chuckled before punching Naruto a few more times in the chest and face. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Please stop!" Naruto yelled in response before trying to shield himself from Nora's attacks.

"Boop." Nora giggled before tossing a hard punch into Naruto's nose, which sent the Fox Sin of Greed rocketing onto his backside. Then as Naruto laid on the ground Nora lowered herself down onto Naruto and straddled her boyfriend. Then holding Naruto's hands to the ground with her own, Nora bent down and locked lips with Naruto. Then after holding the kiss for a few seconds she backed away and smiled. "You're such an idiot, but I'll be damned if I don't love you."

Naruto grinned and looked up to his bubbly partner. "I love you too Nora." The bandit began softly before slowly shifting his body around. "And though I would like to continue this some more, we are in the middle of a war zone."

Nora sighed and rolled off of Naruto. Then by sitting cross legged under the frozen Grimm Dragon, Nora looked over the unconscious form of Ruby and listened to the sounds of destruction that surrounded them.

"What are we going to do now?" Nora asked softly, while at the same time taking a deep breath to steady herself.

Lifting himself up, Naruto relaxed by Nora's side. "Well we lost the Atlas flagship and the view I saw while I was on that Grimm Dragon wasn't good." The Fox Sin of Greed began in a low voice. "It seems the Atlas robots have been taken by the enemy and are assisting the White Fang. Meanwhile more Grimm are covering the ground and skies. Then to make matters worse our team and friends are still scattered around the city fighting a battle that at this point is a loss cause."

"You think Beacon is going to fall?" Nora asked with worry behind her voice.

Naruto scoffed and closed his eyes. "Look around Nora, Beacon has already fell." The blond then opened his eyes and slowly stood to his feet. "Everything is in shambles, the enemy has us surrounded and honestly me and you are nowhere near enough to turn this battle around."

Nora frowned and looked down sadly. "Especially if we have to worry about protecting Ruby." The Winter Maiden pointed out, while she watched Naruto walk over to the unconscious girl.

"Yeah, she did good." Naruto mumbled in a proud tone, while he gently cradled the girl in his arms. "But she is out for the count."

"So that brings us back to my first question." Nora began before she stood up and walked to Naruto's side. "What do we do from here?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. "We survive." Naruto replied in a reluctant voice. "Beacon is gone and there is nothing we can do about that, but we can protect ourselves and our friends. So I say we cut our losses find Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha and the rest of Team RWBY and escape."

"And everyone else?" Nora asked.

"You know what I'm gonna say Nora." The blond replied softly, while Nora simply nodded her head.

"Yeah I do." The Winter Maiden began in a low and sad voice. "I don't like it, but where should we go first?"

"The bunker." Naruto answered almost instantly. "That's where Jaune and Pyrrha are and they are probably prime targets for the enemy. So we have to make sure we find them fast."

Nora nodded and agreed with Naruto's assessment. "Alright you lead the way and I'll cover you with my powers."

"Alright let's go then." Naruto replied before taking off in a sprint towards the bunker, while Nora followed close behind.

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(With Taiyang)

Taiyang faced down Salem with a strong and collected composure, while the vile woman merely grinned at the man with a sadistic smile. The two stood in relative silence for a few moments and didn't make any movements. However, after a short period Taiyang took a small step forward and began walking towards Salem. Meanwhile his large one handed axe was still resting on his shoulder.

"Oh?" Salem began with a sense of intrigue and superiority before pointing the black blade in her hand at Taiyang. "You're actually approaching me instead of running away? You know Ozpin died trying to fight me."

Taiyang remained calm and kept moving towards Salem. "I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer." The man declared in low voice, while his right hand gripped tightly onto his weapon.

"Oh ho, then come as close as you would like." Salem replied before she slowly started to walk towards Taiyang.

Saying nothing more, Taiyang lifted his axe up and swung down onto Salem. The latter of whom raised her black blade and clashed weapons with Taiyang. Resulting in the two creating a large backlash of wind that filled the surrounding area. The two then battled for supremacy for a few seconds before Taiyang pulled his axe back and swiped the massive weapon in a fast horizontal strike.

Salem seeing this brought her blade up and blocked the strike with ease. Then with a wide sadistic grin she pushed Taiyang's axe back and attempted to slash the man's neck. However, Taiyang reacting off his past experiences took a quick backstep and only managed to take a small cut to his shoulder.

"Is that the best you got?" Taiyang taunted in a cocky voice, while a small patch of blood began to build up around his open wound. "I'm not impressed."

Salem laughed and held her blade to her side, while her red eyes focused onto Taiyang. "Such an arrogant man, but I'm curious. What makes you think you even stand a chance against me?"

"Well you're after the Relics and Maidens and my son just so happens to have the power of a relic. So like any good father I have to protect my child." Taiyang explained as he lifted his axe up and pointed its blade at Salem. "That and I haven't even shown you my semblance yet."

"Oh, you're the father of Naruto Branwen?" Salem asked in a low voice, while Taiyang simply nodded. "Well then it's almost poetic that I am the one to kill you then."

Taiyang remained calm and dashed forward and reengaged Salem, which resulted in the two trading powerful strikes. Then as Salem's blade clashed with Taiyang's axe one thing was clear and that was Salem was starting to grow stronger and stronger as the battle drew out. It was only subtle at first, but after exchanging multiple blows Taiyang was able to see a difference in Salem's striking power and speed. Both of which were growing as the battle prolonged and meant Taiyang needed to find a way to beat Salem. Considering if Salem's power was growing like he theorized it was only a matter of time before he was either overpowered or would run out of stamina.

'I need to think of something.' Taiyang thought to himself, while he blocked a strike from Salem. 'Naruto told me a lot about his fight with her, but he mentioned killing her seemed almost impossible.'

"You're slowing down!" Salem yelled loudly, while she broke Taiyang's guard and slashed the man across the chest.

"Shit!" Taiyang cursed before stepping back and trying to create some distance between himself and Salem. However, Salem didn't give Taiyang any breathing room and continued an onslaught of sword strikes.

"To think you're the father of Naruto Branwen, he gave a much better fight than you!" Salem insulted before she sent a large overhead strike to Taiyang's head. "Compared to him you're a disappointment!"

Blocking the strike, Taiyang gritted his teeth and smirked. "Well both my kids are pretty amazing, but I think it's time I show you where they inherited their talent from!" The father of two yelled loudly, while he flexed his bicep and pushed his axe outward. Resulting in Salem getting pushed several feet away from the man.

Coming to a stop, Salem grinned ear to ear. "Well show me what you got!"

Taiyang took a deep breath and held his axe with both hands. "Well to be honest, Naruto inherited his mother's personality and a version of her Semblance. So he doesn't really take after me that much. Yang on the other hand did take after me, but her Semblance grows stronger as she takes in more damage. I on the other hand have a similar Semblance, but I store aura in my body overtime and have the ability to channel it into my speed, strength and other physical attributes." Taiyang explained before a thick outline of yellow aura covered his rapidly expanding body. "And I've been storing this aura for a long time."

Salem watched Taiyang's muscles expand and rip through his clothing, while his body started to grow large and larger in mass. Then as the man towered over Salem, the woman looked forward with an uncaring gaze.

"Is this really suppose to impress m- . . ." Salem began, but was silenced the moment Taiyang chopped her clear in half. Then as he body floated in the air for a brief moment, Taiyang punched Salem hard in the face. Sending the evil woman's upper half skipping away from her bottom half.

Slowly lifting his leg back, Taiyang looked to Salem with an uncaring expression. "Don't forget this." The man began before kicking Salem's lower half into her upper torso. Causing her two halves to collide and then crash into a building from the force of Taiyang's kick.

"I'm going to kill you." Salem seethed to herself in a low voice, while she began to place her body back together. "Then after I kill you I'll kill Raven and your bastard children!"

Taiyang rested his axe onto his body and slowly walked over to Salem. "Kill me and my family?" The man began in a monotone voice, while he dropped his axe to his side and clenched his empty hand for a punch. "You can try, but will fail in the end. As I will be the one to finally kill you."

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(With Naruto)

Running with Ruby in his arms, Naruto was keeping an even pace with Nora. The latter of whom was following close behind and keeping any threat at bay with her powers. However, the battle for the city and school had been going on for sometime now. This was something the duo could see by how many casualties and destroyed buildings they passed during their journey to find their teammates.

"This is awful." Nora spoke up, as she and Naruto passed a group of dead students. Their bodies were unidentifiable, so she couldn't tell what academy they were from. However, she knew they were far too young to die the death that they did.

"It's the reality of the world we live in." Naruto replied in a hardened tone, as from his lifestyle he was numb to scenes like this by now. "We just need to make sure that doesn't happen to us."

Nora sighed and hung her head. "Yeah you're right, it's just." The Winter Maiden took a pause and bit her lip. "I just wish I could stop all of this needless bloodshed and death."

Naruto was about to respond to Nora, but a familiar face running in his direction caught his attention. "Jaune!" The Fox Sin of Greed called out in relief, while he watched the teenager run over to him.

"Pyrrha!" Nora cried out in worry, as she saw her best friend bleeding and in the arms of her partner. So wasting absolutely no time, Nora ran ahead of Naruto and straight to Jaune and Pyrrha.

Collapsing onto his knees, Jaune released a hard sigh of relief. "Naruto! Nora! I'm so glad to have found you two!" The leader of Team JNNP declared in an exhausted voice.

"What happened?" Nora asked, while she stopped in front of Jaune and bent over to inspect Pyrrha. Who had a large gash across her body and was covering Jaune in blood.

"I don't even fucking know anymore." Jaune began in a tear filled voice, while he held tightly onto Pyrrha. "First Ozpin put Pyrrha in this weird machine and did something to her. Next thing we know Cardin and his team were dead and Cinder and some woman named Salem attacked us!"

This caught Naruto's full attention and the bandit looked down to his leader. "What? Salem is here?" Naruto yelled in disbelief before looking around for any sign of the woman. "Is she chasing you?"

Jaune shook his head. "Ozpin gave me this." Jaune explained and held the relic out for Naruto and Nora to see. "Then he told me and Pyrrha to run for it, so we did."

"It doesn't look like you two ran away." Nora commented in aggravation. "Don't tell me Pyrrha tried to fight!"

Jaune shook his head. "Salem and Cinder killed Ozpin and caught up with us."

"Oz is dead!" Naruto yelled loudly, while kicking the ground. "Fuck."

"Wait." Nora began softly, while pointing to Jaune. "If Ozpin is dead, where is Salem and Cinder?"

"They caught back up with us, but this time Pyrrha tried to fight them." Jaune slightly held the girl up and gritted his teeth. "She got seriously hurt, but I unlocked my Semblance and caught Cinder by surprise and took her out."

"And Salem?" Naruto asked in a nervous voice.

"Your father showed up and is fighting her now." Jaune explained to a wide eyed Naruto. "He bought me and Pyrrha both time to escape."

Slowly placing Ruby onto the ground, Naruto looked directly at Nora. "I want you to make sure these three get to safety." The Fox Sin of Greed began in a strict voice.

"Oh no!" Nora shouted in anger. "There is no way I'm letting you run off and fight Salem! If you don't remember she almost killed you last time."

"And I'm not letting her kill my father." Naruto shot back in a fierce tone, showing he wasn't backing down. "So I'm going to go help him and you're going to make sure these three make it to somewhere safe."

Nora stood up and pressed her chest against Naruto's. "You're not going." The orange haired woman snarled in an angry voice, as with Pyrrha's current condition and the thought of Naruto getting himself killed. Nora wasn't in the most happy of moods.

"I know you don't want me to go, but I have to." Naruto began in a soft voice, while he grabbed Nora's hands with his own. "I've hardly got to know my dad, so I can't lose him now. I'm sorry Nora, but you can't stop me from doing this."

Nora gritted her teeth. "Then I'll come with you!"

Naruto shook his head. "Nora look around, Jaune is exhausted, Ruby is unconscious and Pyrrha is on death's door. If you don't help them all three will die."

"Then let's take them somewhere safe and then go save your dad together!" Nora tried to reason, this time her voice sounding desperate for Naruto to listen.

"You and I both know that would take too long." Naruto replied before leaning in close and kissing Nora on her forehead. Then by removing his lips, Naruto lowered his forehead against Nora's. "I'll come back to you, I promise."

A tear trailing down Nora's eyes, the Winter Maiden sighed softly. "If you die I'll never forgive you."

Naruto grinned and slowly backed away from Nora and poked the girl on the nose. "Boop." Naruto replied with care in his voice.

Jaune watched the two and slowly pushing himself to his feet. "Naruto." The team leader began in a low voice, causing the bandit to turn and face him. "I have faith in you, I know you'll come back."

Naruto grinned ear to ear and grabbed Fox Flower. "You and Nora take care of the other two, I won't be far behind." The Fox Sin of Greed declared before running off in the direction Jaune had come from.

"Let's go Nora." Jaune began, as he held onto Pyrrha and started to run in the opposite direction of Naruto.

Bending down and grabbing Ruby, Nora watched the boy she love run off with a saddened expression. She's came so close to losing him so many times already, but Nora prayed that like all the times before Naruto would survive.

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(With Taiyang)

Clashing powerful blow's with Salem, Taiyang grinned wide at how the woman was able to keep up with his power. Meanwhile the entire surrounding area was shaking just off the impact of their strikes.

"Despite being faced against my marvelous Semblance you can still keep up!" The muscular man commented in a casual voice. "You truly are a lucky individual."

Salem continued to hack and slash at Taiyang with all her might, while she bore a displeased expression on her face. "I'm going to enjoy watching as Grimm feast on your dead body!" The woman yelled loudly, while Taiyang blocked Salem's blade with his one handed axe.

Taiyang laughed and used his free hand to try and punch Salem, but the woman brought her forearm up to guard. However, the impact of Taiyang's punch bent her arm inward, showing the raw power behind Taiyang's punch.

"Well for that to happen you would have to kill me!" Taiyang began with amusement behind his voice. "And at this rate that will never happen!"

Snarls of Grimm suddenly filling the area, Taiyang was slightly alerted to the presence of Grimm arriving to their location. However, oddly enough all the creature's began to melt into a black substance that quickly oozed its way over to Salem. The latter of whom seemed to be absorbing all of the Grimm that were coming to their location.

"That's right, keeping coming my children!" Salem yelled, while more and more Grimm began to appear and melt down into her body.

"What could you be planning now." Taiyang chuckled in a soft voice before holding his axe up for an attack.

Salem growled and exploded in the black substance that she used to create her weapons and repair her body. Then to Taiyang's surprise multiple tendrils shot out of the woman and wrapped around Taiyang's legs, arms and neck. All of which were tightly squeezing onto the man and trying to crush him.

"Is that the best you got?" Taiyang asked, as he flexed his body and tried to break free. However, the moment he began to free himself, more and more tendrils started to wrap their way around his body. "Shit." Taiyang grunted in response, as the sheer magnitude of Salem's constraints were too much for him to break through with sheer force.

"Just shut up and die." Salem seethed in a low voice, while she started to constrict the life out of Taiyang with her tendrils.

" **Vanishing Kill!"** The voice of Naruto yelled loudly, while a large sweeping blade sliced through the black tendrils protruding out of Salem's body.

"You!" Salem screamed in anger, as she saw Naruto standing a few feet away with his katana extended outward.

Naruto didn't reply to the woman, instead he held his hand out at the woman. " **Fox Hunt!"** The bandit shouted out, which caused Salem to slight drop in response and Naruto to fill himself with strength.

Salem gritted her teeth and rested her hands onto the ground. "I've seen that trick plenty of times child." Salem declared, as black tendrils expanded out of her hands and went right for Naruto.

"Don't forget who your fight is with!" The voice of the freed Taiyang declared in a proud tone, while the man punched Salem in the face with a powerful force. Sending her flying into an adjacent building and halting her attack on Naruto.

"Not a bad punch old man." Naruto laughed softly, while he rested Fox Flower onto his shoulder and walked by his father's side. "I just had to save your sorry ass first."

Taiyang laughed and shook his head. "God you're too much like your mother." The older of the two men pointed out. "I'll have you know i was fine, just a few more seconds and something would have awakened in me! I always come out on top after all!"

Naruto snickered at his father and watched Salem slowly exit the rubble she was sent flying into. "You might be even more arrogant than mom." The Fox Sin of Greed began before holding his weapon at the ready.

Taiyang scoffed. "I call it pride." The father declared, while holding his axe high in the air with his right hand and resting the other on his son's shoulder. "But what do you say Naruto, wanna team up with your old man?"

Naruto stared down Salem with a wide grin and tightened his hold on Fox Flower. "Sounds good to me old man, do you know Get Help?"

"Oh ho! I'm quite familiar with it!" Taiyang replied before tossing his head back in laughter.

"I will kill you both!" Salem roared in anger, while her red eyes began to glow a bright burning red color.

Taiyang smirked in response and motioned for Salem to attack. "Well bring it on then." The man challenged in a superior tone, while he grabbed Naruto by the back of his neck and hoisted the blond high into the air.

"Oi, what are you doing Dad!" Naruto yelled in annoyance.

Taiyang chuckled and cocked his arm backwards. "Get Help of course." The man declared, as he prepared to throw Naruto right at Salem. "Now- . . ." Taiyang began before taking a slight pause. "Go help Salem find her way straight to hell." The father finished before throwing Naruto forward with all his strength.

Being flung forward, Naruto raised Fox Flower up and smiled. "With pleasure." The blond began, as he swung his sword down onto Salem. Starting the battle between Salem and the father and son duo.

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(Chapter end)

Well here is the next chapter, I wanted to get it done a few days ago on this stories 2nd anniversary. However, that didn't happen :( Oh well what can you do? Anyways hope you all like this chapter, as we are basically almost finished with volume 3. Considering either next chapter or the one after that will wrap the volume up and lead into the next part of the story!

I'm really excited to move forward and I wanted to thank you guys for your continued support over this two year journey so far! This story has come a long way and it's only going to grow. So leave a review and until next time have a good day!


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22. The Fall

Slashing downward with all his might, Naruto clashed blades with Salem and gritted his teeth. Considering he found the woman still had a surprising amount of strength left in her. In fact Salem didn't even look impressed with the amount of force Naruto was pressing down onto her with. Instead the woman actually looked bored and was looking around the area at a rather slow pace.

"Now where is little Nora at?" Salem asked with a small chuckle, while her red eyes flashed a bright hue. "It would be shameful for me to kill you without her here to see."

Naruto snarled and rolled his leg around to kick Salem in the head. However, a tendril grew out of Salem's body and wrapped around the boy's leg. Completely halting Naruto's attack and keeping Naruto suspended in the air.

"And who says you get to harm my son?" Taiyang asked, while he brought his axe down onto the tendril that had Naruto constrained. Freeing the boy who simply jumped back by using his sword to push off of Salem's blade and back away. "No such thing is allowed in my presence!"

Salem quickly lifted her blade up and clashed against Taiyang's axe. Creating a small power struggle between the two, but this wasn't a one on one fight.

"You're wide open!" Naruto roared before swinging his sword right into Salem's exposed right side.

"You're an annoyance." Salem replied in a low tone, while another black blade materialized in her free hand. Then with little effort she rose her second blade up to block Naruto's attack.

Engaging in another battle for dominance, Naruto gritted his teeth and used all his strength. However, Salem didn't budge an inch, which surprised Naruto. Considering the woman was managing to hold Naruto and Taiyang back at the same time.

"You're not slowing down are you Naruto?" Taiyang asked with a condescending chuckle. "Come now, I expect more from my own son."

"Well this bitch isn't a pushover." Naruto replied in a low voice, while he continued to struggle against Salem.

Her lips curling into a twisted smile, Salem slowly pushed down onto Naruto and Taiyang with little effort. "I'm starting to grow tired of this." The woman declared in a monotone voice. "So do yourself a favor and just die."

"I have a better idea." Taiyang began softly while he reached out and grabbed Naruto by the back of his shirt. Then with all his might, Taiyang tossed Naruto to the side and away from Salem.

"Dad what the hell!" Naruto screamed in anger, while he was no longer in range to block Salem's second blade. The latter of which quickly found itself buried deep in Taiyang's arm.

"Heh, I'm sorry Naruto, but you were in my way." Taiyang began without any pain in his voice at all, while his weapon began to glow red with fire dust. "So please stand back for a moment."

Naruto rolled his eyes and stood a good distance away from his father. "Alright old man, just don't get yourself killed!"

Taiyang chuckled and gripped tightly onto his axe. "I'm not the one you should be worried about, as the only one dying will be the meaningless and annoying insect right before me."

Salem sneered at the man and tried to shove her blade deeper into Taiyang's arm. "You're such an arrogant and cocky man!"

Taiyang cocked a smirk and his axe was engulfed in a massive ball of fire. " **Cruel Sun."** The powerful blond mumbled softly, while the fire around his axe began to grow larger and larger.

"W-what is this aura!" Salem shouted in anger, while glaring at Taiyang's eyes. Noticing the man had a rather lazy and bored gaze.

"Get out of my sight." Taiyang ordered in a stern and powerful voice, while swiping his axe forward. Causing the massive ball of flames to clash into Salem's body and send the woman flying backwards into the sky.

Naruto watched this display with a dropped jaw, while Salem and Taiyang's attack flew off in the distance at a remarkable pace. In fact the ball of flames moved so fast and far that Salem was quickly disappearing from view.

"I never knew Dad was so strong." Naruto mumbled in a soft voice, while he watched Taiyang take a deep breath and slam the head of his axe to the ground. "Finally makes sense how he managed to hook up with Mom."

Taiyang glanced over to Naruto and smiled at his son. "So what do you think of that move?"

"Not half bad old man." Naruto admitted, while he walked over to his father and gave the older man some support. "Though it looks like you're drained! What exactly was that move you pulled?"

Taiyang laughed and leaned into his son in order to remain standing on his feet. "Well that was a combination of some fire dust and the remaining aura I had stored up. My weapon let's me channel my aura into my weapon and release it into a single charged attack. It's powerful, but like you can clearly see takes a lot out of me."

"I'll say." Naruto grumbled in response, while he grabbed Taiyang's weapon for him and started to walk forward. "But do you think that attack was enough to finish Salem off?"

Taiyang shook his head. "I doubt it, Salem has some freighting recovery abilities. Plus she's a lot stronger than I first imagined." The older of the two admitted in an exhausted voice. "If anything that blow will force her back to recover and created some distance between us and her. I say we take that time to retreat."

Naruto frowned and looked in the direction Salem went flying. "We could track her down and finish her."

Taiyang laughed and shook his head. "We would die trying Naruto. I've hit my limit and you're slowly running out of steam as well. We need to take this moment to escape and regroup with everyone else."

"I don't like running away." Naruto admitted in a frustrated tone.

"I know Naruto, trust me I want to end this fight with Salem too. However, it took every ounce of my strength just to buy us some time to run away. We need a lot more firepower if we really want to kill her for good." Taiyang reasoned in a weakened voice, while his eyes scanned the area. "I never thought I'd see Beacon in such a state."

Helping his father in their retreat Naruto nodded his head and looked around. Noticing all the rubble and signs of battle, while fires illuminated the darkness around them. "Yeah I know Dad, but it's frustrating. . . after all my effort. . . Beacon still fell and Salem hasn't been defeated."

Taiyang patted Naruto on the shoulder and gave the boy a soft smile. "You've done more than anyone could ask of you Naruto. You're only seventeen, it's not your job to save everyone. Trust me I was in your shoes once, I know what you're feeling."

Naruto hung his head, as he knew his father and mother both use to fight against Salem's forces in the past. However, their fight was much different than the one Naruto has been facing for the past few months.

"Well we should head this way." Naruto began, as he slowly changed the subject. "Nora and Jaune should be in this direction and they can help us escape."

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(With Nora and Jaune)

"Hey Nora." Jaune began in a heavily exhausted tone, while he adjusted his hold on Pyrrha. Who was unconscious in his arms. "Where exactly are we heading?"

Biting her lip and looking around their location, Nora frowned and tightened her hold onto the unconscious Ruby. "I'm hoping to find some form of transport or at least a safe zone to leave you three at."

"I see." Jaune mumbled in response, as he knew what Nora truly wanted to do. "You want to get back to Naruto as quickly as possible."

"Yeah I do." Nora admitted to in a worried voice, while she kept moving forward. "Me and Naruto have fought Salem before, but she almost killed him last time."

Jaune gritted his teeth and held Pyrrha close to his chest. "Just who is she? What is going on?"

Nora sighed. "Jaune it's a long story, but the shortened version is that she is the one who controls the creatures of Grimm. She wants the power of the four Relics and four Maidens. Naruto has the power of a Relic and I'm the Winter Maiden. You are holding another Relic and Pyrrha has half of the Fall Maiden's power. Me and Naruto have been working with Ozpin and the other headmasters in secret to stop her."

"Okay I really don't understand what much of that means, but it explains why you and Naruto have been so secretive. You and him have been trying to protect everyone from Salem." Jaune began softly, while he looked down. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you two."

"It's fine Jaune, there is some more fine tuned details that I'm leaving out. However, right now that's not important. For the moment we need to focus on survival." Nora explained.

"Okay Nora I understand." Jaune replied before he started to pick up pace and walk right by Nora's side. "Let's move quick so you can hurry and get back to Naruto then!"

Nora smiled and nodded. "Yeah sounds good to me!" The Winter Maiden agreed happily.

"I've finally found you Nora." A familiar voice called out, making Nora's eyes grow wide. Considering she recognized the voice calling out to her.

"Mom!" Nora yelled in relief, while she turned to see the stoic mother of her boyfriend walk in her direction.

Jaune leaned into Nora with a nervous gaze directed at Raven. "Um Nora, who is this woman? And why does she look like a pissed off female Naruto?"

Nora laughed at Jaune's comparison. "That's because she's Naruto's mom, Raven Branwen."

"What!" Jaune shouted in surprise, while Raven sighed and walked forward.

"Daughter where is that bastard child of mine?" Raven asked, while folding her arms under her chest.

"He went to find and help Taiyang." Nora explained in nervous voice. "Since according to Jaune here, Taiyang is currently fighting Salem."

"I see." Raven began in a calm tone that Nora didn't expect to see. In fact she expected the woman to be worried or at least angry.

"Are you not worried?" Nora asked in shock, while Raven smirked.

"If Naruto is with Tai then he's okay." Raven declared with a large smirk. "After all I don't fool around with weak men Nora. Tai is the only man to beat me in a fight. So I have faith in that idiot. For now let's get the wounded to safety."

Nora nodded and watched Raven open a portal to her side. "Then we go help Naruto and Taiyang!" Nora cheered happily.

"Yeah about that." Raven began in a soft voice, while she walked behind the nervous Jaune and confident Nora. "You four are done on the battlefield."

"What!" Nora yelled loudly, but couldn't argue as she and Jaune were shoved into the portal by Raven. The latter of whom instantly shut the portal and sighed once she was finally alone.

"Now let's hope Tai and Naruto are okay." Raven mumbled in a rare moment of weakness, as her heart felt heavy. "I'll never forgive those two if they get themselves killed."

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(With Naruto and Taiyang)

Enjoying some casual father and son talk, Naruto and Taiyang were walking together at a relatively slow pace.

"Wait so mom has never beat you in a fight?" Naruto asked with a small laugh, while Taiyang simply nodded. This of course made Naruto throw his head back in laughter. "Wow that's hilarious!"

"What can I say, I'm the strongest man in Remnant!" Taiyang boasted loudly.

Naruto snickered and shook his head. "And mom always went around telling me that she always kicked your ass!"

"Haha your mom lies just as bad as she cooks!" The muscular father declared in a loud voice.

"Yeah you're right about that!" Naruto laughed in response. "Mom's food always tastes like shit! Hell growing up I was always the one cooking for us!"

Taiyang smiled and glanced down at Naruto. "Say Naruto, can't you teleport like Raven? It could save us some walking!"

Naruto chuckled nervously. "Well I can, but it takes some of my aura to teleport and I really can't take other people with me at the moment. I've been working on teleporting other people with me before the festival, but I couldn't get it down. If my abilities hadn't been mutated by my Relic we would have been fine! Though with my new mutated abilities we are out of luck, which is ironic for me!"

"Hmm that's a shame." Taiyang mumbled softly, while he heard the snarls of Grimm all around them. "Considering we are surrounded and I can hardly move!"

Naruto sighed and glared at his father from the corner of his eye. "I think I can handle a few straggling Grimm."

More snarls and growls coming closer to the duo, Naruto and Taiyang noticed the the number of Grimm was slowly growing. Since everywhere from the streets to the buildings around them was coated in creatures of Grimm.

"That's more than a few." Taiyang grumbled.

"You act like I haven't fought large numbers of Grimm before." Naruto began with a small grin, while he slowly prepared himself for an attack.

Suddenly a black streak flew down from the sky and crashed into the path before Naruto and Taiyang with an earthshaking impact. Causing the father and son to tense up and look forward at the large cloud of dust that obstructed their view.

"Now." A familiar and vile female voice began, making Naruto's eyes widen and Taiyang grit his teeth. "You didn't expect I'd allow you two a chance to escape did you?"

Naruto glared forward at the form of Salem, who was still injured from Taiyang's attack. However, was still able to recover enough strength to chase the father and son duo down.

"I really and I mean really fucking hate you." Naruto mumbled in an exhausted voice, while he grabbed Fox Flower and released Taiyang. This of course caused the prideful man to fall onto his back without the support of his son.

"Oh trust me Branwen, the feeling is quite mutual." Salem began softly, while taking a small step forward and chuckling to herself. "But isn't this ironic? Just like our first meeting you're forced to face me and protect someone you care about."

Naruto sighed and placed Fox Flower back onto his hip. "Hey Dad." Naruto began in a low voice, while he grabbed a tight hold on Taiyang's massive axe. "Your weapon can channel aura into attacks right?"

"Yeah it can." Taiyang answered softly, while he glanced up to Naruto with worry. "But that doesn't matter Naruto! You need to escape now!"

Naruto grinned and faced Salem down. "I'll never abandon my family." The blond declared in a bold tone, while he held his outstretched hand to Salem. " **Hunter's Fest!"**

"Oh, this again?" Salem taunted in a low voice, while a small bead of sweat trickled down Naruto's forehead. "Haven't you tried this little trick enough times?"

Naruto slightly struggled, while his veins began to bulge and his heart began to beat faster than before. "I'm trying something new." The blond admitted in a low voice, while he continued to focus his semblance directly onto Salem. "This time I'm taking your aura!"

Salem staggered forward, while a black cloud of aura floated out of her body and floated straight into Naruto. Coating the young bandit in a black hue of malicious and dark aura.

"Y-you can steal aura?" Salem asked in a surprised voice.

Naruto grinned ear to ear, while he felt the aura move it's way into Taiyang's weapon. "Looks like I can." The Fox Sin of Greed began with a proud smirk, while he lifted the axe over his head. "And I'll use this stolen power to finally kill you."

Salem growled in anger and pointed forward at the blond. "Tear that bastard child and his father to pieces!" The woman yelled in anger, while all the Grimm around Naruto pounced forward.

Swinging the axe in a crescent arc, Naruto unleashed a massive wave of pure energy powered by dust and Salem's own aura.

"Take this!" Naruto yelled as loudly as he could, while the wave of energy slashed trough Salem, the creatures of Grimm and all the buildings surrounding them.

Taiyang looked forward with a stunned gaze, as Naruto had literally erased every single thing within the path of his attack. The Grimm were gone and the buildings were slowly collapsing due to massive chunks being destroyed. However, the most surprising sight was the upper half of Salem's torso falling onto the ground, while he lower half simply fell limp onto the ground.

"And I'm not finished yet!" Naruto declared before lifting the axe high above his head, while the fox mark on his body began to glow a deep crimson. "I'll hit you with all the aura I have!" The Fox Sin of Greed yelled, while slamming the axe downward and unleashed a second attack that sliced straight through Salem.

"You bastard!" Salem roared in complete rage, while being struck by Naruto's second attack. Resulting in nearly nothing left of the woman and Naruto smirking in victory.

"You're done." Naruto huffed out in a low and weak voice, while his body began to feel slightly heavy in exhaustion.

"Amazing." Taiyang mumbled in pure shock, while he watched Naruto slump over and take a deep breath.

"This axe is fucking awesome Dad!" Naruto began in a heavily exhausted voice, while he rested the head of the axe on the ground. "I need to get myself one of these!"

The creatures of Grimm fading away to black smoke, Taiyang watched the small amount of moonlight around them slowly be clouded out and a deep darkness overshadow him and Naruto.

"The axe isn't that special, it's all about the man who wields it." Taiyang began softly, while he stumbled to his feet and looked directly at Naruto. "But I expect nothing less from my own child!"

Naruto turned his body around and looked at his father with a triumphant and happy face. "Well regardless it's over Dad. We finally killed the stupid bitch once and for all."

Taiyang laughed and shook his head, while he wobbled over to his son and rested his hands onto Naruto's shoulders. "There is no we my little maelstrom." The prideful father began softly, while he smiled wide. "Today's victory is because of you and your power. To think you could steal her aura and use it against her. A feat only someone as amazing as my son could accomplish!"

Naruto grinned ear to ear at his father with pure joy, as just a year ago he never knew the man. However, now he had Taiyang in his life and Naruto didn't know how he managed to go seventeen years without his father. Considering Taiyang was what Naruto always wanted in a father and the blond finally had that relationship he yearned for.

"Thanks Dad." Naruto began softly, while he slowly leaned forward to hug his father.

Taiyang's eyes snapped wide in shock and horror. Then to his son's confusion the powerful man gripped tightly onto Naruto's shoulders with his remaining strength. Finally with all his might, Taiyang threw Naruto onto the ground without a single warning and stopping Naruto's attempt for a hug.

Though slowly as Naruto fell towards the ground he locked eyes with his father. Seeing the man had an apologetic and caring expression on his face. One that was quickly replaced with a pain filled expression, as blood quickly shot out of the man's mouth.

"Dad!" Naruto shrieked in a loud and stunned voice, while he saw the massive black tendril that was embedded in Taiyang's chest. One that was slowly twisting out of the man's chest, which caused a large amount of blood to leak out of a large hole in Taiyang's chest.

'My little maelstrom, precious rose and sunny dragon.' Taiyang thought to himself, as he closed his eyes and felt the incredible pain sweep through his body. 'And even the headstrong love of my life.' The man continued in thought, as he envisioned the people who he cared for above all else. 'I love you all.'

Then without a last word or even a warning. Taiyang Xiao Long collapsed backwards, while his last act of love was spent protecting his eldest child.

"Dad! Dad!" Naruto yelled with tears in his eyes, while he dug frantically into the ground and pulled his body closer to his father. Then by placing his ear to Taiyang's body he tried to listen of a heartbeat, but there was none. So gritting his teeth Naruto tried to find a pulse or any sign his father was okay. However, despite the blond's numerous actions and attempts Naruto had no success. Since Taiyang Xiao Long was dead and there was nothing Naruto could do.

Naruto realizing this rested his forehead onto Taiyang's chest and started to sob uncontrollably, while a familiar chuckling reached Naruto's ears. One that filled Naruto with hatred, anger and an unmatched fury.

"You fools will never learn will you?" The voice of Salem asked in a slightly humored tone. Causing Naruto to jerk his line on sight directly at the woman. Tears cascading down his cheeks, while he watched the black smoke of the defeated creatures of Grimm float down into the woman's rapidly regenerating body.

"How are you still alive!" Naruto yelled in pure rage, while he slowly pushed himself up and onto his feet. "There was barely anything left of you!"

"Have you ever wondered why the creatures of Grimm shift into black smoke once they are killed?" Salem began softly, while her body was almost completely healed and normal. "You see I was the one who created the Grimm, but my creations are apart of me. Once they are killed that portion of my power just comes back to its original source. So while all you humans, Faunus and huntsmen die fighting my Grimm. Your forces only grow weaker and dwindle in number. Meanwhile any of my creatures you kill only make me stronger!"

Naruto grabbed Fox Flower in one hand and Taiyang's axe in the other. "I'm going to kill you." The blond bandit began in a low and angry voice, while he gripped so tightly onto the weapons in his hands he began to bleed. "That's a promise."

Salem shook her head and closed her eyes. "I'm going to enjoying breaking you."

Naruto watched Salem create another black blade in her hands and slowly inch her way forward. This of course made Naruto curse himself, as he was out of aura and was using every once of his remaining strength to remain standing. He was in no shape to fight and at the moment his whole situation felt helpless.

The bandit then glanced down to his father. A deep burning anger still swelling inside of him, but there was nothing Naruto could do. He gave everything he had and now all the blond could do was stand there and accept his fate.

'I'm sorry Nora.' Naruto thought to himself, while he slowly loosened his hold on the weapons in his hands.

Suddenly a giant barrier of ice exploded out of the ground and separated Naruto from Salem. Making Naruto's eyes snap wide in surprise at the new development.

"Nora?" Naruto began in an exhausted voice, while he turned to look behind him.

However, he wasn't met with the sight of his beloved girlfriend, but instead the figure of Weiss Schnee. Who had an outstretched hand firmly clasping onto a shard of ice dust. Though what Naruto noticed most of all was that Weiss was covered in cuts, scrapes, bruises and was heavily bleeding. Meanwhile, her elegant white clothing was extremely tattered and stained with blood. So much so that Naruto couldn't even identify if the blood belonged to Weiss or not.

"Thank Oum I've found a friendly face." Weiss yelled loudly, while she quickly ran to Naruto's side. However, the moment she saw Taiyang the young girl froze. "Mr. Xiao Long."

Naruto gritted his teeth and slightly staggered to Weiss. "Ice Queen for once I'm actually happy to see you, but you have to get out of here."

"What is going on?" Weiss asked in a hysteric voice, while she held her hands out. "People are dying and I've been running from a madman all night!"

Hearing the ice crack, Naruto turned around and noticed the wall of ice was about to break. This made Naruto try to move closer to Weiss, but the blond fell forward. However, Weiss was close enough to catch the blond and help support him upright.

"Fuck." Naruto seethed, while he tried his hardest to hold himself up. "I can't even move."

Weiss gripped tightly onto Naruto, while the ice wall suddenly tumbled. Revealing Salem in all her twisted and vile glory.

"Hmmm now who do we have here?" Salem began with a small amount of interest. "A new child to break and torment?"

Feeling the malicious intent radiating off of Salem, Weiss shuttered in fear.

"Weiss just run." Naruto grunted in a low voice, while the blond watched Salem inch closer and closer. "This woman will kill you without a second thought. . . I can at least distract her long enough for you to escape."

"Please you can hardly move Branwen, so I'm not going anywhere." Weiss began in a low and fearful tone. "I've seen enough people die tonight and I'm sick of it."

"Well if you want to die with me you're more than welcome." Naruto chuckled softly, while at this point he was starting to accept his fate completely. "Guess there are worse people to die with."

"Oh I'm going to enjoy killing you basta-. . ." Salem began, but was silenced by a stream of lightning that shot into the woman's chest and buried her into the ground. Then without stopping the lightning kept shooting into Salem and began to push to woman deeper into the ground, while also pushing her farther away from Naruto and Weiss.

"What is happening?" Weiss asked in a shocked voice, while she watched the unnatural lightning beat down onto Salem.

Naruto glanced up to the sky and took a sigh of relief, as floating protectively overhead of Naruto and Weiss was none other than Raven Branwen. Who's red eyes were burning bright red with a deep anger that Naruto has never seen in his seventeen years with his mother.

"Mom." The blond bandit began softly, while he relaxed his body.

"Mom?" Weiss yelled in surprise, while she looked at the woman floating above her. "That's your mom?"

Raven momentarily halted her attack on Salem and glanced down. Allowing her vision of Naruto and Weiss, while observing that both teens looked like they had been through hell. However, what truly furiated Raven was Taiyang. Who Raven saw on his back near Naruto, while a hole was in his chest and his body was surrounded by his own blood. Despite his state Raven shed a tear as she saw the man's trademark grin. The one that made her fall in love with the man and a grin that his children inherited.

"Raven Branwen!" Salem called out like a madwoman, while standing to her feet and looking directly at the Spring Maiden. The latter of whom merely looked back with pure anger and disgust. "So you finally decided to show yourself!"

Raven held her hand outward and a powerful wind swept through the area. "It was one thing for you and your pawns to take Summer from me, but this time you've gone too far." Raven began without any emotions, while lightning began to spark off her fingers.

Salem laughed wildly and held her hands out. "Oh did I kill someone important to you?"

Naruto gritted his teeth in anger, as he wanted to kill Salem more than anything. However, at the same time the blond couldn't even move. Let alone stand without the help of Weiss. So all Naruto could do was watch his mother and Salem without having the ability to do anything.

"Shut up." Raven growled softly, while a stream of lightning blasted Salem back into the ground. Then without stopping Raven created more and more streams of lightning to blast down onto Salem.

"H-how is she doing this?" Weiss mumbled softly, as she couldn't comprehend anything she was seeing.

"She's a Maiden." Naruto answered simply, but still only managed to further feed the confusion that Weiss had.

"Naruto." Raven began in a stern voice, while she floated down to her son and opened a portal. "We are leaving."

"What!" Naruto screamed in anger, while he glared at his mother. "We can't just run away! You're going to let her get away with killing Dad! Do you even fucking care!"

Raven's eyes twitched and she punched her son hard in the stomach. Using enough force to completely knock the boy unconscious.

"Don't ever question my feelings." Raven began softly, while she turned around and lifted Taiyang up into her arms.

Weiss looked at the woman with a stunned gaze, while she struggled a little to hold Naruto in her arms. Considering now the boy was completely limp, but still had a tight grip on the two weapons in his hands. Raven glanced to Weiss and saw the girl standing around and doing nothing. So with an annoyed look on her face, Raven held one of her hands towards Weiss and a strong gust of wind blew Naruto and Weiss into her portal.

"So you're the Spring Maiden?" Salem yelled loudly, while Raven glanced over her shoulder. Allowing the bandit leader to see the woman stagger to her feet and her body slowly regenerate back to normal. "To think a coward like you of all people would have that power!"

Raven gripped tightly onto Taiyang's body. "It might not be today, or tomorrow. . . Fuck it may be years from now, but I promise you this Salem." Raven began with pure anger and confidence behind her voice. "The day will come when you die and I will be there to enjoy every second of that moment. Because I'm done running away, I'm done pretending I can avoid this fight. You've taken the last person I love away. And that sin will be your last."

Salem grinned ear to ear. "You can try, but believe me you'll lose everything. I'll kill your children, your brother and every other person you know or hold dear. I will always win in the end!"

Raven turned her back and began to walk into her portal. "We will see about that." The Spring Maiden repiled, while she along with her portal disappeared.

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(One day later, with Ruby)

Silver eyes slowly opening, Ruby Rose quickly came to the realization that she was no longer at Beacon. In fact to the girl's confusion she found herself neatly tucked into her own bed at her house. She was no longer at a battlefield, but was home safely and it made the girl wonder is everything was a dream or at least a nightmare.

"G-glad to see you're awake kiddo." The slurred and drunken voice of Qrow Branwen began, showing Ruby that she wasn't alone in her room.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby began softly, while she perched herself up on her bed and looked at the man. Noticing he was seated in a small chair in the corner of her room, while dozens of bottles were surrounding him.

In fact by the sheer number of empty bottles Ruby figured Qrow had been drinking and watching over her for some time. However, Ruby wondered what caused Qrow to drink so much. She knew the man was an alcoholic, but this was excessive even for him.

"What happened?" Ruby finally asked in a confused voice.

Qrow sighed and leaned forward, while resting his elbows on his kneecaps. "Tell me what you remember first."

"Uh I was with Naruto and Nora." Ruby began, while she squinted and tried to recall as much as she could. "A big Grimm dragon was chasing us and Naruto was about to die. That's all I remember- . . . Wait is Naruto- . . ."

"He's fine kiddo." Qrow cut in with a small sigh. "He's here along with your team and his team."

"So everyone is okay?" Ruby asked in relief.

Qrow hung his head and gritted his teeth. "No kiddo, some of your classmates and Ozpin died. But worst of all was Tai." The man began surprising Ruby and making her bring her hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry kiddo, but he's dead as well."

"Dad is." Ruby choked in her words, while tears began to roll down her cheeks. "He's. . . He's."

Qrow stood up and stumbled to Ruby's beside and hugged the girl. Trying his hardest to comfort the girl to the best of his ability.

"Just let it out kiddo." Qrow began softly, while he felt the girl bury her head into his chest. Then all the aged drunk could hear was the muffling sobs of the girl who lost one father and didn't even know her true father was still with her.

"Qrow." Came a harsh and commanding voice from the entrance of Ruby's room. This made Qrow look over his shoulder, while Ruby peeked her head around to see Raven Branwen standing at the door. "Make your way to my tent, we have some things to discuss. And bring the girl as well."

Qrow narrowed his gaze at his sister. "Ruby just woke up and learned about Tai. Give us some time to talk."

"We are all in mourning brother and the girl will be fine." Raven began in an emotionless tone, while she looked directly at Ruby. Swearing that the girl was a complete copy of her mother Summer. "And besides the girl still has her fa-. . ."

"Not another fucking word Raven." Qrow began in a rage filled tone, while red eyes glared into red eyes. "Ruby. Lost. Her. Father!"

Ruby looked between the siblings with wide eyes, as she could feel the tension building in the room. Raven on the other hand scoffed and turned her back.

"Just be at my tent." The woman ordered, while she left Ruby and Qrow alone.

Qrow snarled at the retreating form of his sister, but the sudden tugging of Ruby's hand made him calm down. "Uncle Qrow. What's going on?"

"Listen kiddo, it's a long story and I'll tell you what I can later." The drunken man began, while standing to his feet. "But for now we should at least hear what my sister wants to say."

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(With Yang)

Finally opening her eyes, Yang Xiao Long noticed three things. First off was that she was back home and in her childhood bedroom. Second was that she couldn't feel one of her arms. Lastly and most importantly there was a black haired Faunus practical staring a hole into her.

"Yang!" Blake shouted in relief, as the cat eared Faunus tackled her partner into a strong hug. "I'm so glad you're awake. I- . . . I thought I was going to lose you!"

Yang smiled at her friend and used her one remaining arm to return to hug. "I'm so glad to see you're okay too, but what happened? Why are we at my house? What happened to that guy who- . . ." Yang paused, while a sharp phantom pain flared itself where Yang's arm use to be.

Blake saw this and frowned. "We were saved, but not before you got seriously injured."

Yang looked to the stub where he arm use to reside. "Well all that matters is everyone is okay, who saved us? Naruto? My dad?" Yang asked, while Blake cringed at the last question. A reaction that Yang saw and felt a slight sickness in her stomach.

"Your mom." Blake explained softly, surprising Yang to her very core. However, for a brief moment Blake gave a small smile. "You should have seen it Yang. Your mom took Adam down without even trying. She was extremely protective over you. She even forced me to stay here and watch you. . . Even threatened to kill me if I didn't listen or ran off."

"My mom saved us." Yang mumbled softly, while a small warmth filled her chest. However, that warmth was quickly overshadowed by a wave of confusion and questions. "But wait? What happened at Beacon? Is Ruby and everyone else okay?"

Blake frowned at this question and looked to the wall. "All members of Team RWBY and Team JNNP are safe and here at your house. Velvet, Coco and Sun are also here. Along with your Mother, Uncle, Winter Schnee, Glynda Goodwitch and General Ironwood. From what I gathered so far by listening to everyone Beacon was attacked and destroyed." Blake the gripped her hands tightly onto the sheets of Yang's bed. "There was also lots of casualties from the attack. The most notable ones were Cardin and his team. All of Sun's team along with Fox and Yatsuhashi. Professor Ozpin and worst of all. . . Your dad."

Yang felt her whole world shatter, it was one thing to lose her arm. However, her father the man who raised her since she was a child. Her best friend teacher and role model was gone. This revelation caused tears to slowly build in Yang's eyes, while sobs began to make their way out of her body.

"My Dad is dead?" Yang asked in a broken voice, while Blake suddenly wrapped the girl into a strong hug once more.

"I'm sorry Yang!" The girl began, as she could feel her best friend tremble in her arms.

"This isn't right, this isn't fair." Yang began in a frustrated, but heartbroken voice.

"The world isn't fair and there is no use complaining about it." The voice of Raven Branwen began in a bold and powerful tone. Making Blake and a wide eyed Yang look to the entrance of the room. Where Raven could be seen slowly making her way closer to Yang's bed.

"Mom?" Yang shouted loudly, as for the first time she was coming face to face with her own mother.

"Tai is gone and that will never change and trust me Yang it pisses me off more than you'll ever know. However, it's a disgrace to such a powerful and great man to bitch and cry like a weakling." Raven insulted in a harsh tone that surprised both Yang and Blake.

"How do you want me to react then?" Yang yelled loudly, while her anger spiked and her eyes shifted into a scarlet red hue. "It's normal to feel sadness when you hear the only goddamn parent you have is dead!"

Raven focused a hard glare at her daughter, but she eventually sighed and dropped her hardened facade. Allowing Yang to see a more exhausted woman behind Raven's cold personality.

"I want you to not allow Tai's death to hold you down." Raven began in a simple voice, while she slowly walked closer to Yang. "If you do let that happen you'll stay the same weak girl you are until you get yourself killed."

Yang gripped her single fist in frustration. "I'm not weak."

Raven rested her hand onto Yang's head and closed her eyes. "Yes you are, but there is nothing wrong with being weak." The leader of the Branwen tribe began softly, while Yang looked up to her mother in surprise. "However, staying weak is a problem. So if you wish to fix your weakness step outside and join me in my tent. We have a lot to talk about."

Blake and Yang both watched the woman remove her hand and walk off. Leaving the two partners alone in Yang's room. However, almost instantly Yang jumped out of her bed and chased after Raven. The girl was an absolute mess of emotions and confusion, but at this point she was wanting answers and her mother was the best place for them.

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(With Jaune)

Standing outside of the Xiao Long household, Jaune was relaxing on a large box. Meanwhile his gaze focused around the area around the house. The surrounding area had been transformed into a safe space and living arrangement for the survivors of Beacon. There was tents everywhere and people could be seen trying to do their best to adjust to the aftermath of Beacon.

Jaune saw two girls who were the only remaining members of Raven's tribe working on some adjustments for Raven's massive tent. Their names from what Jaune has gathered were Ino and Vernal. Apparently Raven had abandoned a majority of her tribe and only taken two of her most valuable members with her.

They were not the only people he saw, as Jaune also saw Sun, Weiss, Velvet and Coco all at a small picnic table. They all had somber expressions on their face and were obviously dealing with the mental toll that the attack on Beacon caused them.

Not much further away from the students was General Ironwood. Who was talking to Glynda and Winter off to the side by a few smaller tents.

"Jaune." The sweet and soft voice of Pyrrha spoke up, which made the team leader glance to the girl. Noticing she was standing by his side with two cups in her hand. "I brought you something to drink."

Accepting the cup, Jaune smiled and moved over to make room for Pyrrha. "Thanks Pyrrha." The boy began softly, while his partner let a warm smile pass her lips. "Did you find Naruto and Nora?"

"I did." Pyrrha revealed in a low and saddened voice, while she took a seat by Jaune. "Naruto still needs some time, but he has Nora with him."

Jaune nodded and took a drink. "That's good." Jaune mumbled, while he looked up into the sky. Finding it hard to believe that the sky could be such a beautiful blue after the nightmare that had transpired only a day ago. "Even I'm having a hard time comprehending everything."

"Yes it is a lot to take in and I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to run away." Pyrrha started off, while she rested the palm of her hand onto the box she was on.

Jaune rested his own hand onto Pyrrha's, which made the girl blush. "The only thing I'm doing is staying by your side Pyrrha." The boy declared with a wide grin.

Pyrrha rested her head against Jaune's shoulder and sighed happily. "Then I'll have to do everything I can to protect you."

Jaune rested his head against Pyrrha's. "And I'll do the same."

While Jaune and Pyrrha enjoyed a small moment together, Raven came storming out of the house.

"Everyone in my tent now!" The bandit leader ordered, causing everyone to look at the woman. Who had Blake and Yang following closely behind and even the duo of Ruby and Qrow following as well.

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(With Naruto)

Looking down with a frustrated look, Naruto Branwen kept his red eyes down at a freshly covered grave. His gaze zeroing in on a makeshift headstone thy simply read.

Taiyang Xiao Long

Loving father and friend who shined brighter than the sun

To Naruto's right was Nora, who had a depressed aura around her. However, she calmed herself by interlocking her hands with Naruto's own. Creating a sensation that eased the young Maiden's heart.

"I can't believe he's gone." Nora mumbled softly, while she felt Naruto's hand twitch.

"It should have been me." Naruto began in a low and angry voice. "I let my guard down and because of that Dad got killed saving me."

"Don't say that." Nora replied softly, while she leaned her body into Naruto. "Your father died protecting what was precious to him. He wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over his sacrifice. Just like my parents I'm sure he was happy to give his life to keep you safe."

Naruto closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, while he tried his hardest to bottle his emotions. "I hardly got to know him." The blond mumbled softly, while he felt a pain in his chest and a sickness in his stomach. "I even use to hate him when I was younger, but now I just want my father back."

"At least you got to spend some time with him and you know he loved you." Nora began softly, while she looked up with a melancholy grin. "That's more than most people will ever get."

Naruto nodded, while he swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm going to kill Salem." The blond declared with pure conviction behind his words. "She took my father, my friends and made the life for the woman I love an absolute nightmare. Those are sins I'll never forgive."

"And I'll stand by you no matter what you decide." Nora replied softly while she glanced up to her boyfriend. "Taiyang will be the last one she takes from us."

Naruto nodded. "The last one."

Nora smiled and began to walk, while pulling onto Naruto. "Come on, let's head back. Mom wanted to talk to everyone."

"I can only imagine what she wants to say." Naruto replied, while he followed Nora back to the Xiao Long house.

It didn't take long for Naruto and Nora to arrive to the house where the camp had been setup. The duo also arrived at the moment when everyone was starting to gather into Raven's tent. So following suit, Naruto and Nora joined everyone else present inside Raven's large personal tent. Where the woman who had gathered everyone walked over to a large table that had the map of Remnant spread out for everyone to see.

"Alright I'm gonna cut right to the point." Raven began in a cold and serious voice, while she turned around to face everyone. "If you are afraid of fighting a fight that could get you killed leave now."

The room was silent.

"But if you want to avenge the lives of the friends and family you lost." Raven took a pause and slammed her hands firmly onto the table. "Then you will listen to every fucking order I give like it's the goddamn gospel. We are fighting a war and we are doing this my way!"

General Ironwood sighed and stepped forward. "Send me back to Atlas Branwen, I will not listen to the orders of a criminal and killer."

Raven swiped her finger in a downward motion and a portal opened by her side. "Don't let the door hit ya on the way out Jimmy."

The General turned to the room and folded his eyes. "Anyone who wished to avoid a meaningless death can follow me now."

Glynda stepped forward along with Winter, as both women took their place by the man's side. However, everyone else remained still and that made Raven smirk.

"Well looks like the kids have bigger balls than you Jimmy." The bandit leader insulted with a chuckle, while she watched the man seeth. "Which is sad since most of them are girls, well girls, three boys and my bitch of a brother."

Qrow's eyebrow twitched. "It's like you want me to leave too."

Raven huffed. "I surely wouldn't lose any sleep over it."

"Well too bad for you Raven cause I'm here to stay." Qrow replied with a childish tone and a middle finger.

Raven smirked at her brother, but before she could speak Winter stepped forward.

"Weiss come along back to Atlas." The elder sister instructed sternly.

Weiss looked to her sister and the other adults with her, while she thought of Atlas. Bringing fourth memories that were not pleasant for her in the least bit. However, Weiss then glanced to Ruby who was her closest thing to a best friend. A friend who had lost her father and looked fundamentally broken. In fact Weiss didn't like to see her bright and cheerful leader in such a state.

"No I'm staying here with my team." Weiss declared in a firm tone, which stunned Winter. "They need me and I won't abandon them."

"This is not up for debate!" Winter yelled in response, while she raised her hand into the air. "You're returning home!"

"The girl can stay if she wishes." Raven spoke up, while she saw Winter glare at her.

"You will not decide my sister's fate!" Winter began in a harsh and arrogant tone. "And she will not die for you stupid vendetta!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "And she would be so much better off with you fools in Atlas." The woman laughed in a condescending voice, while she gripped her fists tightly. "You idiots along with Ozpin are responsible for everything that has happened. I am going to fix your mess and end this fight once and for all!"

"You bitch." Winter began, but shivered once the temperature in the room dropped.

"It's best you refrain from insulting my mother and leave." Nora ordered in a stern and cold voice, while everyone looked to the normally bubbly girl surprised looks. Well all except for Naruto and Raven Branwen, as both mother and son simply smiled at the girl. "You don't want to help us? Fine, but don't try to control my friend."

"Nora." Weiss mumbled with a tearful gaze.

Raven nodded at Nora and turned to the three adults. "You three should just leave, if not I'll have my children show you out." Raven revealed, while Naruto grabbed Fox Flower and Nora cracked her knuckles.

"Have it your way Branwen." Ironwood growled before walking into the portal. "Let's go Glynda, Winter."

Glynda followed James into the portal, but Winter glanced at her sister for a moment. However, after a quick glance she shrugged her shoulders and walked into the portal, which closed behind the woman.

"Well now that we have that little mess behind us." Raven began softly, while she looked around the room. "We have a lot to talk about and I know you all except for a few have numerous questions. However, let me explain what is going to happen and then I will give you the details that Ozpin has never given you."

Raven then motioned for everyone to gather around her table, which everyone complied to. "Our enemy who attacked Beacon was not the White Fang or simple criminals. They were just pawns used by the woman who created and controls the Grimm, a whore know as Salem."

"She's after the four Relics and four Seasonal Maiden powers." Naruto spoke up making everyone look to him. "Mom can explain what they are later, but what's important is that we have two Relics and one Relic wielder."

"We also have two full Maidens and one with half the power of a Maiden." Nora chimed in softly, while everyone snapped their gaze to her. "Honestly we are pretty well off for such a small group."

"Wait Salem? Relics? Maidens?" Yang spoke up, while she looked around. "Can you slow down and explain a little?"

"Yeah I'm having a hard time understanding everything." Velvet spoke up, as Raven was throwing so much at the teens.

"Salem needs no further explanation, as all you need to know is that she is powerful and controls the Grimm." Raven explained, while she placed the Relic from Beacon onto the table. "This is a Relic and is almost worthless without someone who can wield its powers. Only one person is capable of wielding each of the four Relics. Naruto just so happens to be one for those four and has the power from a Relic he got months ago."

Weiss, Yang, Blake and Ruby all looked at the cocky red eyed boy. Wondering if that was why Naruto has always been so much stronger than all of them.

"Now the Maidens are a little different, but for now you should know that Nora is the Winter Maiden, I am the Spring Maiden and Pyrrha has half of the Fall Maiden's power." Raven revealed shocking everyone present.

"Wait is that how Nora used all those crazy powers at the festival?" Sun asked, while Nora nodded.

"Yeah and that's why Naruto took me to meet Raven before the festival." The Winter Maiden explained. "She helped me better control my abilities. We were trying to prepare ourselves for an attack from Salem, since we knew she was going to attack. We wanted to protect everyone, but me and Naruto were not enough."

"So that's what you two have been up too!" Weiss shouted loudly, as she started to assemble the pieces of their past actions. "All this time you and Naruto have been working in secret to protect us?"

"Yeah we were both working for Ozpin." Naruto admitted in a low voice. "We wanted to keep you all safe and out of the fight, but we failed."

"And we are sorry for that." Nora mumbled softly, while she hung her head.

Yang smiled and hugged her twin. "Don't apologize, you two shoulder a burden for our sake. And we resented and questioned you both the entire time. I'm more than sorry for how I treated you."

"Yes I'm with Yang." Weiss spoke up, making Nora and Naruto smile. "We were quite foolish."

"But we are with you guys now." Blake added in.

"You don't have to be alone in this!" Jaune began in a bold tone, while he rested his hand on Nora's shoulder. "We will back you guys with everything we have now."

"You guys." Nora mumbled with a lone tear in her eyes, while Pyrrha gave her a one armed hug.

"And nothing you say will change that." The powerful redhead warrior proclaimed.

"Well I'm glad you're all so eager, but here is what needs to happen. We still need the Summer Maiden and the other half of the Fall Maiden's power. Along with two more Relics and hopefully three people to use the Relics we gather. Then with that kind of firepower we go and take Salem down once and for all." Raven explained, while Qrow rubbed his chin.

"Okay so what are you thinking?" The walking bad luck charm asked. "You do have a plan don't you?"

Raven nodded. "For the moment we need to recover from the battle at Beacon. Then we need to get everyone here besides myself, Naruto, Nora and Qrow stronger. Because as you're now you will just die, but I will fix that." Raven declared with a small smirk, while pointing around the room. "From there we shall make teams to search the kingdoms for Maidens, Relics and Relic Wielders."

"Vernal, Ino, Coco and Velvet." Raven spoke up, while each girl looked at her. "I'm making you into a team and your focus will be on Atlas when we are ready to move."

Ino smiled and clapped her hands together. "I'm excited to work with you two!"

Vernal scoffed. "At least I'm not stuck with the pep squad."

Velvet looked at the two bandits with a nervous gaze. "I hope to become good friends!"

Coco lowered her glasses and looked each girl down. "What Velvet said."

"Next shall of course be Team RWBY, who shall need the most work before I send you anywhere." Raven admitted, while each of the girls looked down. Showing to the woman how beaten and battered the girl's have been in the past twenty four hours. "However, I have high hopes for you four and have plans to send you searching for potential allies. Since we will need larger numbers than we have. Also Sun since you do not have a team you shall be working with Team RWBY."

Sun hung his head, as he was reminded of the demise of his three best friends. Meanwhile all the members of Team RWBY seemed to still have their own demons. Raven of course planned to fix those issues in the next coming months through training and a little tough love.

"So I guess that leaves Team JNNP." Naruto spoke up, while he looked to his three friends. "Guess our team lives on."

Raven nodded with a pleased smile. "Yes you four are the strongest of the teams I have in mind. I'll want you four in Mistral looking for the Summer Maiden and Relics."

"Seems our team was destined to stay together." Pyrrha pointed out with a large smile, happy they could still be Team JNNP.

"Yeah Team JNNP is the best!" Nora declared in a proud tone, while Jaune smiled.

"We still have a lot of work to do." The team leader spoke up. "I just recently unlocked my semblance, so I gotta learn how to use it!"

"Well we shall spend the next couple of months resting and training. Then when I feel each team is ready I shall send you out when I see fit." Raven began in a stern and commanding tone. "Meanwhile I'll have a contact of mine searching Vacuo for any leads. Naruto already got his Relic from the area, but that doesn't mean that Kingdom isn't worth checking out again. Now with that established I believe I can tell you all a few stories about the world we live in and the truth that has been kept a secret from you."

Naruto rolled his eyes and grabbed Nora's hand. "Heard this talk enough." The blond admitted, while he and Nora left the tent.

"Same." Qrow mumbled, while he grabbed a flask and stumbled out of the tent.

Raven folded her arms and looked around the tent, noticing she still had a decent amount of people looking to her for answers and she was going to give them all she could. As this was her new tribe, her new family and they were going to finally put a stop to Salem.

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(Chapter end)

 **And there is volume 3 and I hope everyone liked it, I poured everything I had into this to make it great. So please tell me what you thought about the story so far. Now I want to say a few things for everyone.**

 **One. If you're wondering I will be continuing this story if that isn't obvious lol but it will take some different paths from cannon RWBY. Examples would be a focus on a tribe and keeping Team RWBY together for starters and much more.**

 **Two. Many have guessed I'm making the Seven Deadly Sins and many were saying Taiyang was Escanor. Now he was based around Escanor, but I never meant for him to be the Lion Sin of Pride. That title will go to someone else who shines even brighter. However, I did Taiyang like I did to make his death hurt even more as he replaced Pyrrha as the big loss that drives everyone moving forward. Mostly Naruto, Raven, Yang, Ruby and Qrow.**

 **Three. Rejoice as we are avoiding killing characters for awhile!**

 **Now since I've finished three volumes I wanted to do something fun and share some old ideas I canned or thought about doing in this story. Just to let you guys see how this story could have turned out!**

 **Kurama: At one point Naruto almost had a pet nine tailed Grimm fox named Kurama, but I tossed that idea quick. Since it added nothing and I didn't like the idea too much.**

 **Rin: Rin was almost left alive, but I did the dead voice in the head instead. For reasons…**

 **Traitor: at one point I thought about having Nora or Pyrrha be a traitor working for Salem and stab everyone in the back, but I didn't want to fuck with everyone that bad.**

 **Emerald: I was always going to kill Merc, but I thought about if I killed Pyrrha, I would have Emerald get redemption and take her place. Hated that idea tho.**

 **Cinder: so originally when Naruto and Nora have their confession in the bar Cinder was going to be in Nora's place and help Naruto. They would have went to the dance together, but Nora was going to stroll in looking beautiful and that's how they were supposed to originally get together at the dance. Though I hate Cinder so I said fuck that idea.**

 **Raven: So I thought about who would be the big loss of volume 3 and it was almost Raven. It would have destroyed Naruto and even more so Yang, as she would never get any resolution with her mother. However, I went with Taiyang instead to not be such an evil dick to Yang.**


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